Yet Another KiGo Fic
by Ken-Zero
Summary: KiGo, obviously. Post S4. It starts with Kim and Ron needing to foil Drakken and Shego again, and the hero gets angry, has some words with the villain...and learns something surprising. Then it's college time for Kim, meaning more changes.
1. Chapter 1: Hold the Phone

Yet Another Kigo Fic!

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Absolutely none of these characters are my creation. They all belong to Disney, and I'm just taking them out for a spin. Borrowing the keys, so to speak. And now, on with the show!

* * *

Shego was angry. 

Scratch that: Shego was _very _angry. In fact, were someone to walk up to her right now they would be lucky to leave her without second-degree burns and with even a scrap of their clothing and no concussion and…

She ended that train of thought before it could exacerbate her already foul mood even further. Instead she focused on why she was angry, which didn't help improve her mood…but at least it didn't make it worse, either.

Shego was angry because she'd been ditched, in several senses of the word.

It had been had enough at the start of the day. She'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed—_That wrong side must be the top side_, she reflected sullenly—only to have Dr. Drakken surprise her with an earlier-than-usual dose of his over-the-top shouting. After sending him fleeing with a well-placed shot of plasma at his feet—_Okay, fine, I missed,_ she admitted to herself—she'd dragged herself through the motions of getting ready.

When she had finally finished slipping into her trademark catsuit and sealing its collar, she had slipped into Drakken's main lair with nary a sound, sneaking up and tapping his shoulder. His expression was priceless, as always, and the brief flash of amusement had lightened her mood slightly.

Then he had started to talk—once he had calmed down enough to form coherent sentences, that is.

As usual, he'd tried for some overly complicated, nigh-unstoppable, and easily-foiled scheme, ranting about his genius in creating the "Long Range Thermodynamic Instant De-Sapperizer" and expounding about what he was going to do with Canada when the maple syrup industry dried up (pun _fully _intended, Shego had been sure) and he took over the suddenly-financially-strapped country and renamed it after himself. Shego was still privately amazed that he wanted to take over Canada again—that he would once again rename it Drakkanada was just icing on the cake.

Also as usual, he'd gotten about three-quarters of the way into implementing his plan when Princess and her buffoonish sidekick had shown up. Things had proceeded on par for the course, with Shego and Kim Possible duke-ing it out between themselves and Drakken and Ron Stoppable rolling around looking like the imbeciles they were. Shego and Kim had actually paused in their own fight to watch, Kim in morbid fascination and Shego in pure amusement. Of course, the buffon had somehow managed to cross some wires or something, or maybe that naked mole thingy of his had gotten to wreak some of its own special brand of havoc, but regardless of how it had happened, the Long-Range Thermowhatever Thingy had essentially _im_ploded, leaving a smoking patch on the ground the only proof of its past existence. Drakken had panicked, Princess had been all smug, the doofus and his rat had been clueless, and Shego was simply ready to call it a day.

Business as usual. Hey, at least she got _paid _for it. And besides, fighting Kimmie was always fun.

The wrong twist had come as Shego and Drakken prepared to flee the scene. Drakken had remotely called his hovercraft, which had arrived, and he clambered into it, dropping the rope ladder over the side for Shego to grab while she was still keeping Pumpkin busy. Shego had grabbed a rung and was taken away…completely failing to look up as she cast a smirk back at her archrival.

It would have saved her some humiliation to have done so, she reflected currently.

The rope ladder had…well, snapped, not thirty feet from where she'd grabbed onto it. Unfortunately, Drakken's penchant for building lairs on remote mountaintop locations had come back to bite her in the butt.

At the steep angles of the mountaintops he favored, thirty feet forward equated to a _long _drop downward…and without anything to grip, she just kept going down.

Eventually she'd slowed when the ground began to level out, but her momentum was such that if she _tried _to grab something to stop herself, she'd dislocate her shoulder, or worse. So she kept rolling until she came to rest…by falling another few feet into a random, conveniently-placed drainage ditch.

She'd been there for a long time. Fortunately, with her elevated body temperature thanks to that stupid meteorite from her childhood, she wasn't in danger of freezing to death, even while soaking wet in the frigid conditions of umpteen-thousand-feet of elevation. Unfortunately, Drakken seemed not to have noticed she was missing yet, and Miss Goody-Two-Shoes probably hadn't seen her fall, which meant it was unlikely she was going to get any assistance—hence the _other _meaning of being ditched.

Story of her life, after all.

Hours later, back in the present, Shego was currently trudging her way back up to the remnants of the lair—the imploding superweapon had created quite a nice power surge that popped every single transformer and generator in the entire facility, and the explosions were rather spectacular—and thinking to herself that she was going to take another vacation from her time with Drakken. After all, what with saving the world with him only to get right back into the conquering business…well, she felt like she deserved a break. And if Drakken challenged her on it, well, she'd demonstrated time and again in the past that only Shego ran Shego's life. Claws and plasma were nice deterrents from meddlesome employers.

With a tired sigh she heaved herself over the lip of the last cliff between her fall and the target of her climb. She wasn't totally surprised to see no one there, so she turned back to her path and let loose with a double-handed plasma shot that flashed a bunch of snow to steam and shook the mountainside even further. She was only partially satisfied to see a small avalanche start just below where her shot had impacted, but it was still some satisfaction, and she resumed the short trek to her destination. Another plasma shot erupted the snow and rocks from their locations, and when the steam and smoke cleared a pair of sliding metal doors barred her way into a tunnel dug almost vertically into the mountain side.

Shego put her hands on the doors and ignited her plasma. The heat sensors hidden behind the closed doors picked up the sudden temperature spike, rising to a level only found comfortable by man-made materials and Shego, and tripped a signal circuit, sending the open command to the doors. They ground open and Shego stepped inside, being careful to only take one step lest she plummet yet again

Beyond that first stair the tunnel dropped sharply at the same nearly vertical pitch the doors suggested outside. As she settled on it, though, lights came on at regular intervals down the length of the tunnel. A piece of the floor next to Shego separated and rose a few inches. She stepped onto it and swiftly it began to sweep down the tunnel. It didn't take long for the end of the tunnel to come into sight, and at it sat Shego's personal jet. She hadn't really had much of an excuse to use it since just before the Diablo incident. _Oh, great,_ she thought, _now even _I'm _calling it that._ It seemed Kimmie was rubbing off on her.

Shego tossed that thought aside too as she grabbed her flightsuit from the cabinet that had just opened in front of her. She slipped it on over her catsuit and was devoutly thankful that her heat-the-doors-open trick had practically flash-dried her normal outfit. She didn't even try to pull her hair out of the suit, instead ramming the helmet onto her head and climbing into the cockpit. She ran through the normal pre-flight checklist in about ten seconds before engaging for launch. At the touch of a button she activated the aircraft carrier-grade steam catapult and was smushed back into her seat as the jet accelerated to nearly two hundred and fifty miles per hour in the maybe three hundred foot long tunnel.

As the jet practically exploded free of the tunnel, Shego pressed another button that activated the tunnel's separate self-destruct sequence. Winging over the area again she watched it demolish itself adequately before slipping the black and green craft into stealth mode and flitting off into the sunset.

She chased that sunset for a few hours, dropping stealth over the water and flying supersonic until she reached US airspace, going back under the radar when she arrived. Eventually she found what she was looking for, bringing her jet in for a soft landing in an abandoned superstore parking lot. As she taxied her plane a section of the lot lifted open and she slid into the secret hangar. As soon as her jet stopped moving the hangar hissed its way back under the surface of the parking lot, leaving nary a trace of her arrival.

Shego climbed back out, somewhat calmed by the hours flying alone, and made her way into the attached hideout after doffing both helmet and suit. She stripped out of the catsuit and hit the shower, relaxing nicely, especially after her tumble through the snow-capped mountain earlier. Finally she took a seat on the only luxurious piece of furniture in the entire place, a nice leather couch that was parked in front of a flat screen. She turned the screen on and was rewarded with the hours of mindless entertainment she wanted more than anything else at the moment.

Then her cell phone rang.

Irritated beyond belief, she looked at the offending device like she was going to nuke it right there. She didn't carry one with her while she was with Drakken or out on a job for him—he provided his own communication devices—but she did have one tucked away at each of the private hideaways she maintained from her pre-Drakken master thief days. Those hidey holes hadn't _always _been so high-tech…but Drakken paid very, _very _well, and discretionary contractors were plentiful when she looked hard enough.

With a growl she snapped the screen off and grabbed the phone. She didn't recognize the number it displayed, but the area code was familiar enough.

_Middleton?_

* * *

Kim Possible was angry. 

Scratch that: Kim Possible was _very _angry. In fact, if Wade were to bother her right now with a mission or something, she would probably develop psychic powers on the spot just to strangle him through the screen of her Kimmunicator.

The reason for her anger had received her just desserts, Kim was pretty sure, having seen Shego plummet from the rope ladder Drakken had dropped to her to help her escape…and that had snapped, with Shego still on it, only a handful of feet away from the pick-up point.

Kim hadn't even felt like going to make sure the other woman was alright. Instead, she had grabbed Ron and trudged the two of them back to their waiting ride for their return to Middleton.

The plane ride back was uneventful; Kim had taken a nap in lieu of talking to Ron, or Wade, or even the pilot. Ron had nudged her awake on landing approach and she'd thanked the pilot then, but had remained silent and sullen all the way home from there.

Which led to right now. She was in her room, Ron having gone home because he needed to watch Hana, his baby sister, while his parents were gone for the night. Her Kimmunicator was off, her stereo was off, her computer was off as well; she felt like she wanted to forsake contact with the outside world until tomorrow lest she bite someone's head off for no real reason.

Given more time to think, she knew she was majorly tweaked only because of having to hare off and find Drakken and Shego again. Kim was sorely disappointed. That was why her anger: after the two villains had had a rather large hand in saving the world not three months ago, here they were again, trying to take that same world over themselves, and with a more harebrained scheme than usual—probably, she mused, to make up for lost time.

She'd had such high hopes after her graduation and the awards bestowed on Drakken and Shego. She'd seen a re-broadcast of that event, and the expression on Drakken's face was somewhat confused as he was gifted with the medallion, but Shego was practically beaming. Kim was sure Shego was proud of herself and what she'd done, especially since an act like that could only serve to fuel the other woman's ego…but apparently Kim had been mistaken. Or, possibly worse, she'd been absolutely correct, and now Shego thought she could get away with anything because she had some hero cred.

Some hours later Kim finally sighed. She'd worked through the most of her anger, and her inherent optimism and cheerful nature wouldn't let her stay angry any longer. Curiosity, though, could stay as long as it liked, apparently, as she was simply _dying _to find out why Shego—and Drakken, for that matter—were back in the super-villain biz.

Heaving another sigh she hoisted herself up off her bed and turned on her computer. Not four months ago she'd had Wade set up a specially protected folder on her system for which only she knew the several passwords required for access.

She entered them now, taking care to put them in the correct sequence.

The folder opened, displaying its contents. Kim selected the one file she was looking for: contact information for as many of her villainous enemies as she could get. She'd initially felt guilty about violating their privacy like that, but after discovering that not only was Dr. Drakken (or rather, Drew Lipsky) listed in several local phone books, but phone records existed for things from his lairs such as pizza deliveries and as-seen-on-TV orders, she'd felt decidedly less bad about it. After all, she reasoned, if John Q. Public could find his lair that easily, why shouldn't she be able to?

Also, it made it much easier to try and prank-call him. She'd done that once or twice. Of course, after the first time, she'd despaired that Shego was rubbing off on her, but she had to admit that hearing him panic about his refrigerator escaping while he chased after the inanimate object, leaving the phone off the hook, was beyond amusing. _Hearing him scream "No! Not my pickles!" was probably the best part_, she thought with a grin.

She gave herself a mental smack. _Need to focus_. She found the name and number she was looking for. This one was the most difficult to track down, if only because the records of its existence were so few and far between, but Wade had been more persistent than Kim had expected and had come through in the end.

Nodding, she picked up her own cell phone and dialed the number.

"You'd better pick up, Shego," she said softly to herself.

* * *

Shego stared at the caller ID on her phone as it rang. 

"Who the hell knows me that lives in _Middleton_?" she wondered out loud. The one…well, two names that leapt to mind she discarded immediately: Princess was too lawful-good to snoop around phone company databases, or even to ask her nerdlinger friend to do so, and the buffoon…well, she wouldn't put it past Ron to forget Kimmie had a cellphone of her own, so no way would he think of it.

Cautiously she opened her phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked hesitantly.

"Shego? I'll let you guess who it is."

Shego frowned. _Guess she's desperate?_ "What is it, Princess?" she asked warily. "Isn't this a bit…underhanded for you?"

"We need to talk."

Shego had to hold back a snort. "We're talking right now, aren't we?"

"Face to face, o snarky one," Kim's voice said back. Both of Shego's eyebrows went up.

"So we've graduated to name slinging," she said, her old humor coming back. "Congratulations, Cupcake. I didn't think you had it in either of your two goody shoes."

"Can it, Shego."

_Whoah, _Shego thought. _She sounds more irritated than when I ruined her date night last year._ "Alright, alright," she said, hoping to appease her conversation partner. "Assuming I even agree to this, how do I know you're not going to do something like bring GJ along with you?"

"Because…" Kim's voice faltered for a second. "Wow. Hadn't thought of that. Um, because I wouldn't do that if you agreed," she finished.

"You mean to tell me that you, of all people, would be willing to meet with me, a known and wanted criminal and, probably, fugitive, _without _bringing some Global Justice help along for the ride?"

"When you put it that way," Kim's voice chuckled, "I guess it _does _seem hard to believe. But yes, it'll just be you and me."

Shego smirked. "And that's the way I like it," she purred throatily.

There was a pause on the other end. Shego could picture Kimmie trying to figure that out—and she would be absolutely correct in her mental image, but she didn't know that. Finally, Kim replied, "So do we have to meet in some dark and shady alley?"

"Nah," Shego shrugged it off. In spite of their history—or perhaps _because _of it—she knew she could trust Kimmie to be alone. "Pick a place and I'll be there. Just, don't pick a church or something. That'd be too corny."

"Middleton Mall okay?"

"Sure thing, Princess. When do you want to do m—this?" She smiled as Kim's voice sputtered over her very intentional "slip of the tongue."

"Shego!" There was an aggravated sound. "Can you at least _try _to take me seriously?"

"You had me at 'take you,' Kimmie," Shego answered. God, but teasing her was _fun_.

"Aaargh!" Kim's frustrated noise made Shego laugh. "Fine. Tomorrow night, eight o'clock-ish."

"It's a date, dearie," Shego said, then hung up, ending the conversation.


	2. Chapter 2: Mall Madness

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 2

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Just like last time, nothing magically changed. I still don't own any of these people.

* * *

After Kim Possible hung up the phone, ending that wildly inappropriate conversation closer with Shego, she counted, by primes, to…well, the highest nine-digit prime number she could think of before flopping onto her bed. As far as she was concerned, they were going to have their chat tomorrow night, learn some things, and be done with it. She was sure, under all the innuendo Shego had used, that that was what the older woman wanted, as well. Still, in her opinion, tomorrow night couldn't come soon enough.

Shockingly enough, it came quicker than anticipated. Of course, running a mission for most of the day helped speed things along, especially when that mission involved a high-speed chase through river rapids on the Amazon, trailing Monty Fiske, also known as Monkey Fist, in his pursuit of mystical monkey mojo and assorted artifacts to crown himself Monkey Master. Now, Ron had told Kim that during all the hullabaloo surrounding their graduation Sensei had come to him and told Ron that _he _was the real Monkey Master. Unfortunately Monty wasn't present to hear that little revelation, which meant he was as misguided as ever.

Actually, if Kim's memory served, Monty had been a statue for whatever reason when Shego and Dr. Drakken were awarded their medallions…

Which brought her back to the task at hand. Sort of.

Kim was actually fretting about what to wear. Some small part of her conscious mind screamed at the ridiculousness and futility of such an exercise. After all, it wasn't like she was going on a date. Ron's schedule was locked up for the next three nights, anyway. And besides, it was only _Shego_. Unfortunately, the part of her that was freshly eighteen was fully in control, and it argued with the rational part that, hey, it was _Shego_. The one woman from whom, for whatever reason, Kim couldn't really handle clothing criticism easily. Kim knew if Bonnie were to insult her taste or style that she could brush it off, piece of cake, and move on. But when Shego picked on Kim's choice of clothing, it really, _really _irked her. Kim didn't know why; maybe it was just that piled on top of all the other bits of teasing and mocking. Except she usually handled those just fine, as well.

With a frustrated growl she reached in and grabbed the first items of clothing her hands touched: her mission gear. She tossed those aside and reached for another set, finally coming away satisfied with the kind of semi-nice clothes she wore to work at Club Banana: bright-colored shirt with three-quarter-length sleeves and pants that were too nice to be called jeans but too casual to be real khakis. She changed in a flash, ran downstairs to kiss her parents goodbye, and hopped into her car.

Ten minutes later she was there…and half an hour early. She took one look around and felt a familiar feeling well up inside: excitement. She rubbed her hands together: it was time to shop.

After all, she may have been a world-saving, ultra-athletic, high-school-graduate teen hero, but she was female, too.

* * *

After Shego hung up the phone, she had a good solid giggle fit that lasted for about fifteen seconds. She couldn't help it; about the only part of that phone conversation that _wasn't _amusing was the lack of a screen to see Kimmie's face. Well, that and the context of the call, at least. Shego knew their "talk" wasn't going to be pleasant, but as it was going to be in a public place, neither of them would be exactly ready to just go at each other's throats without a really _really _good justification.

Still, if the questions were going to where Shego thought they would go, it would not be a night to look forward to, which meant Shego knew it was going to come up much faster than she anticipated.

She was pleasantly surprised when the next day dragged on like molasses in winter with the speed aspirations of a snail. She got to feel good and lazy, staying in her hideout practically all day with the television on and a bowl of popcorn handy. Finally, though, the appointed time arrived, and she cleaned herself up before sorting through the handful of casual clothes she kept in each of her few hidey holes. She selected black jeans and a lime-green tank top over which she wore a short black jacket. Black gloves hid her hands and she split her hair so it fell equally in front of and behind her shoulders. No reason to really give away her skin tone, after all, especially since she didn't want to be reported by random passersby.

Having made herself presentable enough she went to the other end of her hideout and rode a small elevator to the surface. The end of the ride opened into a parking structure, and as she stepped out the wall slid closed behind her. She walked to a nondescript black vehicle, climbed in, and turned the keys that were already in the ignition.

Shego made it to the mall in record time, probably because she had traumatized half the people on the road. Shego was a fine pilot; she just extended those hotshot skills to the road, and that tended to scare a lot of people. She checked the car clock and discovered she was nearly thirty minutes early.

With a shrug she stepped out of the car. She locked it and went inside, then rubbed her gloved hands together, smiling a little. It was time to shop.

After all, she may have been a green-skinned, comet-powered, plasma-wielding master thief, but she was a female, too.

* * *

Shego and Kim managed to cross each other's path six times in the next twenty-four minutes without either of them realizing it. An outside observer who knew what was supposed to happen might have found it amusing, but as there were none of those that pleasure was wasted.

Nevertheless, at about six minutes to eight both women were finishing their last runs at different stores. Kim's Kimmunicator went off just as she was putting her receipt in her bag, and she headed for the food court at a brisk walk.

Shego checked her watch and saw she had only a few minutes left; luckily she was about three store fronts away from the food court, so she had plenty of time.

Both women became slightly apprehensive as they approached the meeting place; Kim knew that the food court area would be the only place Shego would be willing to talk, since the noise level meant that practically no one could listen in on them. Shego knew that the food court area would be practically the only place Kim would be willing to talk since the redhead would most likely be absolutely starving given the energy output she maintained.

Shego found Kim first, a not-too-difficult task given her luxurious mane of red hair. Shego was willing to bet that Kim was the only red-haired petite female cheerleader in the entire building, too, since not many other people had that hair coloration. Shego knew of Kim's mother having red hair, and that was about it. She snuck up behind Kim, who was apparently scanning the crowd to see if she could spot Shego, and crossed her arms, assuming a bored, semi-irritated expression. At least her hair was pulled back enough to let Kim see her face.

Kim was indeed looking for Shego. She wasn't having much success; she supposed that the thief probably _wouldn't _be wearing her normal catsuit, given the circumstances, which meant she would be looking for any flash of pale green skin…hopefully helped by the most awesomely thick head of long, shiny black hair Kim had ever seen. She'd had to suppress the urge in the past to just run her fingers through it, and not just because Shego was her archrival: Kim had tried to give up being that grade-school girly when she entered high school and had mostly succeeded.

She sighed and scanned the crowd again, but she saw nothing. Then she turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin. She put a hand over her heart to calm it down. "Shego!" she hissed. "Don't _do _that!"

The supervillain laughed. "What's the matter, Princess? Afraid of me now?"

"_So _not," Kim scoffed. "I just…wasn't expecting you right there."

"Uh _huh_. And your face is all red…why?"

"Because you scared me, duh," Kim answered.

"I've scared you before, Cupcake. Aw, is our conversation last night getting to you?"

"_So _not," Kim repeated. "Look, can we sit down?"

"Sure thing." They found a table—a small miracle given how crowded the mall was—and set their bags down next to their chairs. Kim felt a little apprehensive still, as she thought Shego was being awfully civil...until she remembered why she'd suggested they meet.

"Look, Shego," Kim began, "I'm sure you know why I wanted us to talk."

"I have my guesses, Pumpkin, but why don't you tell me?" Shego was sure she knew, but she would rather humor Kim for the moment.

"I want to know why," Kim said simply.

"That's a big question, Kimmie," Shego said, leaning back in her seat. "I suppose we could start with the Big Bang"—Kim's face flushed again and Shego fought back a grin—"and move along the creation of the universe and all that stuff. But that's more the 'what' and 'how,' not the why. As for why, who knows? Maybe it's just one of those things that happen once in a galactic while."

"Can you ever be serious?"

"Why? Oops, there's that question again."

"Shego…" Kim put her head in her hands.

"That's my name," she confirmed. "So glad you can remember it. So, what's your question?"

"Why did I have to take you and Drakken out again?"

"Oh, that was a _date_? I didn't know you could do that with two people…"

This time Shego couldn't help but laugh as Kim nearly smashed the table in frustration.

"Dammit, Shego," Kim growled, which secretly impressed the older woman. She'd never known Kimmie to swear before, but there it was. She supposed graduating high school would have something to do with it, as Kimmie could finally start to grow beyond her shining knight image. Or was it knight-ess?

"Alright, Princess, I'll be good," Shego said. "Sort of." She leaned forward in her seat again. "So what's on your mind?"

"Why did I have to take you and Drakken out again?" Kim repeated. She looked offended, like doing the hero thing was no longer her pride and joy.

"Do you want the long answer or the short one?"

"Long, please."

Shego sighed. "You get the short one first. Basically, Dr. D needs me around. And he pays."

"Why does he need you around? Didn't you tell me before that you just make fun of him and poke holes in his plans?"

"Yeah, I did. But just think of what would happen if I wasn't there one day for him. That whole pickles incident doesn't count, by the way. He'd get this crazy-ass mad scientist plan, like his last one, except he'd need to get the parts himself, or he'd design something with even more fatal a flaw than usual, like fatal to him and not just his lair. Then when he would try and execute it he'd more than likely get himself eaten alive or something. I mean, remember when we actually had to help you against Warmonga and her partner, whatever his name was? Drakken's flower power helped get you free, or so he told me, but imagine if I hadn't been there in his lair when he first tried to use it. It would have probably grown a giant Venus Drakken-trap that would have had a nice big lunch."

Kim looked skeptical. "You mean to tell me you're only in on this ride to keep Drakken safe?"

"Well, not really," Shego admitted easily. She took off her gloves and shed the jacket; now that she was in Kim's company she wasn't worried about being hauled off anywhere. "Much better. My main reason is that he pays me. Isn't that just wonderfully capitalistic of me? I provide him a service and he pays me for it."

"But you told me that he operates in the red most of the time."

"He's a genius with some things, Kimmie, but a moron about the rest. Way early on I taught him some basic money management. He basically has two separate funds: one for me, one for his crazy schemes."

"Okay…so why, then? I mean, honestly, I thought that after you helped with Warmonga and them that things would be slightly different."

Shego's expression dropped. "Not many professions on the right side of the law that give the kind of adrenaline rush I like, Princess," she said. "People don't change _that _easily. I admit, it was nice being recognized and not having to go to jail for it. Or at least look like I was going to jail. And hey, Dr. D actually came up with a scheme that worked, once and for all. He'd had his victory; it just so happened that it came with _saving _the world instead of _conquering _it."

"And then?" Kim drew the words out like a certain Chinese drive-through voice.

"Don't start that," Shego warned. "Not my favorite movie. Anyway, the other bad guys started picking on him for that very fact. Let's just say that the one-man blue group doesn't handle peer pressure very well. You told me he went to college with your dad?" Kim nodded, and Shego continued. "See how that turned out. Anyway, with all the other guys harping on him, he had to prove that he could conquer the world just as easily. And since I was kinda attached to him, I was by default along for the ride."

"That's…the dumbest justification I've ever heard," Kim said frankly.

"And don't I know it. But it's like I said, I keep him mostly alive and well and he pays me good money."

"That's so mercenary, though. Didn't you feel better after getting your medal?"

"Not really, no," Shego said. " I was kind of operating on a euphoric, we-made-it-out-alive feeling, but when the Doc's little plant dude wrapped me up that went by the wayside. I think I hurt his feelings when I sliced my way free."

"I saw that feed," Kim said. "You looked…embarrassed."

"Well come on, who wouldn't be?" Shego exclaimed. "I mean, bad enough that we have to be hailed like heroes, which I am emphatically not, but then his plant thingy gets it in its mossy head that the two of us are an item?" She made a nasty sound.

It was Kim's turn to laugh. "You deny it so violently that I'm tempted to think it's actually true, but I wouldn't do that to you."

"Thanks," Shego said sarcastically. "It'd be like me saying you got laid by the buffoon three nights a week for the last year."

"Shego!" Kim shrieked while turning bright red again. The villainess smirked.

"Strike a nerve, Kimmie?" she asked slyly.

"Hell no!" Kim said vehemently.

Shego chuckled. "There's that same violent denial. Are you _sure _he's not keeping you company at night?"

Visibly Kim restrained herself. "Absolutely sure," she said primly. "If you must know we stopped being an item a few weeks after your medal ceremony. And we _never_ did…that."

"I sense some gossip fodder, but that's not what I'm here for. At least, not right now," Shego amended. "Anyway, that's my story. You can't blame a girl for needing to keep a job, can you? Besides, I wouldn't have this any other way: this way I get to knock you around legitimately, no holds barred and all that."

"You're staying criminal just to fight me? Well, that and the paycheck?" Kim touched a hand to her chest. "I'm flattered."

"Improved use of sarcasm, very _good, _Princess," Shego said approvingly, and Kim grinned. "Look, I know you don't like this, but it's like I told you back then: people don't change so quickly. I've been a criminal for almost half of your life. It's not so easy to leave that behind."

"But you want to, don't you?" Kim asked softly. It damn well sounded like it to her, to listen to Shego talk and hear the tone of her voice.

"Hmm?" Shego asked, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't hear you, Cupcake. What'd you say?"

"Nothing," Kim said. "At least, nothing important." She sighed. "So do you think Drakken could be convinced to stop taking over the world again?"

"Don't know, don't care," Shego said, crossing her arms. "Really, Kimmie, trying would be a waste of time. You can't tell me you don't enjoy getting it on with me?"

Kim half-smiled in spite of the double entendre. She really _did _like mixing it up with Shego, since the two could go all-out without worrying about injuring the other or the perceived formality of sparring. There was always the rush, just like Shego was talking about, that came with full-on combat with someone who was at least Kim's equal, if not her better. It spurred on Kim's…well, Ron had called it "natural Kim-ness" that had gotten her lead spot on the cheer squad and also made sure she kept on taking missions in spite of setbacks. Her father's truism didn't do a thing to calm it, either: Kim really believed anything was possible for her.

Shego echoed the smile. "See what I mean? You like it, too."

"I know," Kim sighed. "Well, I guess that answers my question…much as I may not like the answer. Do you have any?"

"Yeah. My place, or yours?"

Shego laughed long and hard at Kim's expression.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I realize a fat lot of nothing happened here except for some rationales and explanations. I'll do better later, but hopefully this means things are a bit clearer.

As for why Shego and Kim are so chummy, we'll take a look at that next chapter, as well as get back to the present. And by the way, the comments about the girls enjoying shopping…well, I haven't met a girl yet who didn't, so forgive the generalization.


	3. Chapter 3: One Liner

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 3

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: As many authors have said, if any of us really owned KP and friends the series would have been _much _different. As none of us do, then, we work with what we have.

* * *

_Four months previous_…

Kim Possible was happy. She was _very _happy. In fact, she was so giddy she felt like she was walking on air. In spite of the sheer destruction, she had saved the world, graduated high school, kept her boyfriend, and seen a television broadcast that she hoped was a harbinger of good things to come. In fact, the total annihilation of the Possible residence was barely able to scratch her euphoria.

The family stayed in a hotel while the city rebuilt their house as a thank you for their contributions to society at large. Kim had done a lot of hanging with her friends that summer, but there was one thing that nagged at her for the first few weeks after graduation.

After beating the Lorwardians down and sending them packing, their figurative tails between their legs, Kim had seen on TV the ceremony wherein Shego and Dr. Drakken had been awarded medals for their exploits in saving the world. Kim knew that that had to be a weird experience for both of them, especially for Shego since it marked something of a return to the "light side." What Kim wanted to know, though, was…was Shego really happy with it, or was that just a false smile for the cameras? As a thief she had to be adept at bluffing. And yet…it _looked _genuine. Drakken had looked confused but honored at the same time, at least until his flower partner had wrapped Shego up next to him.

_That _hade made Kim laugh out loud. Shego looked decidedly uncomfortable—that smile was definitely forced. Drakken looked the same.

So Kim decided. She knew she had a slim chance of success, but that only egged her on. After all, anything was Possible for a Possible. Especially her.

* * *

Shego was happy. She was _very _happy. In fact, with the recent turn of events she wasn't sure if she was actually dreaming.

Oh, the being a hero thing was amusing enough. She knew Kimmie had to be getting a kick out of it, too. It just…wasn't her.

Dr. D was still a bit weirded out. The flower attachment thingy had finally worn off, and he was decidedly less jumpy about that, but the fact that his only successful plan had been one used in _defense _of the world instead of used in taking it over was causing him to do some soul-searching. Of course, his evil buddies were still ribbing him over it, some of them being less than good-natured about it.

Shego was…conflicted. On one hand she was proud of herself for doing a job well. She'd gone to rescue Drakken from the Lorwardians and had helped Kimmie out in the process. That had been…fun, actually. More fun than their usual fighting, in which Shego usually hid her enjoyment under an angry or cocky expression.

And yet, as much fun as it had been, it had been lacking the usual rush. Yes, there was the whole endorphin high from fun physical activity, but it lacked the thrill of getting away with anything. Shego's best work was done right under people's noses, especially when they felt the most secure. It was when she could undermine their confidence that she usually got the biggest rush. The helping thing didn't have that rush. She still felt smug about winning, though. At least there was that.

But the main reason that she was happy was that she was on vacation. Dr. D had told her to take as much time as she wanted, and she was going to take him at his word on that. She'd practically vanished into thin air the minute he'd said that and had been relaxing, away from the world's eyes and almost completely incommunicado, for the whole time since.

After all, anyone that had to put up with Dr. Blue Boy for any amount of time would deserve a vacation. Especially her.

* * *

Kim's Kimmunicator chirped its happy little minor-third melody. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen. "What's the sitch, Wade?"

"You've had a…weird hit on the site, Kim," the boy genius said. "Someone filed a missing persons report."

"And that's weird why?" Kim had done plenty of missions like that.

"Because Drakken is the one who posted it."

"Drakken?" Kim echoed. "What, is he missing his poodle or something?"

"He claims Shego vanished off the face of the earth," Wade said with a shrug. "I can send you the message he left."

"Please and thank you," Kim said with a smile. Wade's fingers flew, and about three seconds later Drakken's face appeared on a smaller picture-in-picture.

"Kim Possible," he began, sounding almost normal, "I know this sort of thing is right up your alley. Shego is missing and I need you to bring her back." Kim's eyebrow went up. "I realize this sounds strange coming from your greatest foe, Dr. Drakken, but be assured it is a fully legitimate request." His expression shifted to near-panic. "Please find her fast! I need her!" Then the transmission ended.

"Melodramatic much?" Kim asked Wade, who smiled back at her.

"The funny part about it is, Kim, Shego's just on vacation."

"How did you find _that _out?"

"I asked."

She stared at the screen. "What, did you call Drakken back?"

"Nothing so clean. I just hacked into his records. Silly villains seem to think that being on their own network means they're immune to my cyber claws."

"You rock, Wade. Can you tell me where she went?"

"Not a clue. You know her well enough, though. Crashed enough of her previous vacations."

Kim had the decency to blush slightly. "I still feel kinda bad about the last one we wrecked…I'll have some ideas to run by you later, Wade."

"I'll be here." He signed off, and her Kimmunicator darkened to inactivity.

"Now, if I were a notorious thief with a short temper and plasma powers, where would I go to relax?" Kim pondered while she toyed with her wrist device. "Somewhere, I'm sure, that would either be quiet and devoid of people…or in a country where they haven't heard of me yet."

Kim knew that Shego was vain enough to want an area all to herself, instead of blending in…not that she could do that with her skin being its pale green color. She also remembered the woman having a weakness for all things warm and hot, hence sunning herself on beaches or resting in spas with special heat treatments. She decided to try and get a list of places to search through, and sat at her computer.

Three hours of exhausting—and sorely tempting—research later, she called up Wade via her wrist Kimmunicator. "Got a list of places for you to check for Shego," she said instantly, not bothering with pleasantries. "I need to know if you can get satellite imagery."

"Depends on where you want it from. I mean…I can get anything, just, some will take longer than others."

"Whatever you can get me," Kim said. "I'm in no hurry."

"I'll get back to you when I get results," Wade said, and signed off.

Kim settled in for the wait. She went down to dinner with her parents, came back upstairs, and put some finishing touches on one of her several college scholarship applications. It was late at night when Wade called her again.

"Got a lead," he said. "Spy satellites have been trickier than usual to get into, but regular ones have yielded a couple of results. First one: Brazil," he continued, sending her the image in question. She could see only a small amount of detail, but there was a sparsely-populated beach with an almost tell-tale human figure in long dark hair and a bright green suit. "That one, I think, is the closest match. Second is in Utah, of all places." He showed her another photo, this one of a very similar situation, except the photo had no color, so the bathing suit was questionable. "The third is in Turkey. This one's the least likely of the photos I found, but it's a big bathhouse, which you said she liked in the past." Sure enough the photo displayed a large, elaborately-decorated building that looked like it had been around since the time of the Romans. It was a large square structure with an open area in the middle; the tiling was still red ceramic, or had been restored that way, and the middle opening featured a large pool surrounded by mosaics. The picture was too far away to make out any of the details of the mosaics, but Kim could make out a human-shaped figure relaxing in the open water.

"Nobody's been to that place in about six months," Wade said as Kim studied. "That's the biggest reason I thought of it."

"Thanks for this, Wade," Kim said gratefully. "I think I'll check Utah first, it's closest. Got a ride for me?"

"Sure you don't want to wait until tomorrow?" Wade offered. "You were the one that said you weren't in a hurry."

Kim, uncharacteristically, hesitated. "You have a point," she said slowly. "Alright. First thing tomorrow, the 'search' is on."

"Okay, Kim. See you then."

"Night, Wade."

* * *

The next morning found Kim flying in a two-seat Cessna Piper with a certain Mr. Edwards.

"Thanks again for the lift, Mr. Edwards," she said, as was her custom, when they neared the spot in Utah airspace.

"No problem, little lady," said Mr. Edwards. "Especially after the way you moved those bird nests away from the hangars. Alfred Hitchcock may have had bird ideas, but that was too dangerous for us normal non-film folks."

"It was no big," Kim assured him. "I'm sure anyone could have moved a few thousand pigeon and vulture nests in time for the air show."

The ritual exchange completed, Kim waited until he gave her the signal, then leapt from the plane. She enjoyed freefalling like this, wind rushing past and almost totally taking her breath away. She twitched a limb here and there, altering her trajectory slightly, then yanked the ripcord at the appropriate altitude. Her chute exploded from her backpack and slowed her instantly to a bare fraction of her previous velocity, and when she touched down she dropped into a roll to absorb the force of the landing.

She nodded to herself as she shrugged out of the jump gear and backpack, surveying her surroundings. She'd chosen a good spot for the jump, landing in a field not far from the public beach drive entrance. She took off at a trot.

A handful of minutes later she was at the beach proper, and not a soul was in sight. A couple of seemingly abandoned beach chairs soaked up the remnants of the day's sunshine, and the small lake's waves splashed harmlessly on the sand. The dropping sun tinted both the water and sand red, and Kim held a hand in front of her face to keep from being blinded from the glare. She turned to check out the area she'd come from and saw nothing.

Deciding the beach was a bust she entered the concession area…and almost tripped over her own two feet: there sat Shego, her back to Kim and what looked like a newspaper in her hand, a plate of something in front of her on the table.

Kim was struck by the utter absurdity of it all: her most dangerous nemesis, sitting there, reading the newspaper like it was Saturday morning—which it actually almost was—and she didn't have a care in the world.

Absurd or not, though, she had to do what she'd come to do, so she marched up behind Shego and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What is it?" the green woman asked, sounded irritated…but much less so than normal. She didn't even turn around.

"Surprise," said Kim simply, and Shego's head whipped around. Her eyes rolled and she groaned.

"What is it, Princess? Come to interrupt my vacation again because someone broke Dr. D out of prison and you think it was me?"

Somewhat to Shego's surprise Kim just appropriated the other chair at the small table and flopped into it. "Not really. At least, that's not why I'm interrupting your vacation."

"Yet you're still interrupting it. What gives?"

"Someone filed a missing persons report."

"And…you think I've got them kidnapped and secreted away at my vacation spot? Fuck that."

"Did I say that?" Kim asked with a hint of a smile.

Shego didn't miss it. "No," she said, her eyes narrowing. "You didn't. What gives?"

"Just decided to drop in," Kim answered.

"That one was old forever ago. I take it you skydived?"

"Yep."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she growled.

"Yep."

"Spit it out, Princess," Shego said. Just when she had been starting to relax, the damn redheaded irritant just _had _to come and crash things…

"You'll never believe the details."

"Hello? Survived a meteorite strike? I believe a lot, I just make fun of it," Shego said, pointing to her green skin tone.

"True. Well…"

"Again, spit it out."

Kim's half-grin turned full. "Drakken put out the MP report. On you."

Shego blinked. Twice. "What did you say?"

"Exactly what it sounded like. Drakken hit up my website with a request to find you because you, quote, are missing and he needs me to bring you back, end quote."

Shego could only stare. "You can't be serious."

"I can show you," Kim offered, pointing to her Kimmunicator.

"The last thing I need is proof," Shego said instead. "I told you, I believe…just…oh, _fuck _no," she said. Her eyes went even narrower.

"What?" Kim asked, alarmed. She hadn't anticipated Shego getting angry.

"I'll bet you I know just what he's worried about."

"What's that?" Kim asked. She felt weird asking, but Shego hadn't attacked her yet, hadn't even gotten angry—at least, not toward Kim. She was beginning to think this vacation thing must be a sort of truce time, like if Kim didn't start something, Shego wouldn't either.

She admitted to herself it felt better to talk normally with the woman she still sometimes accidentally thought of as a big sister instead of fighting her in nearly-mortal combat.

"His goddamn pickles," Shego growled. Kim noticed the telltale green fire creeping around Shego's hands, and it looked like Shego didn't. Kim reached forward and grabbed one hand, thankful her gloves kept her from instantly burning. The newspaper wasn't nearly so lucky.

"Hey, calm down," she said urgently, "before you burn your vacation down."

Shego blinked at the contact and the warning, and the fire winked out instantly. "…Thanks, Cupcake," she said, and was surprised by how easy it was to say it. She'd have sworn once that being grateful to Kimmie would be much, much more difficult than pulling teeth that were held in place with superglue while using only toothpicks.

"Hey, it's your vacation," she shrugged. Silence descended for a few seconds before Kim asked, "So, why are you on vacation?"

Shego sighed and closed up what was left of the newspaper. "You can only take so much, you know?" she began. A corner of her mind scoffed at chatting with her enemy, but the rational part responded that Kimmie wasn't here to fight, just bring her back.

"Of Drakken? I think we can agree on that."

"That makes one thing," she actually chuckled. "There's just not been a lot going on lately, either. I mean, we had that whole save the world thing a few weeks ago and suddenly he's getting offers from places that, three days before that, would have been trying to arrest him. I mean, the National Weather Service asked him to retrofit that crazy weather machine he tried to use a couple years ago with different equipment for observing weather instead of causing it." She shook her head. "You remember how it held up in a huge thunderstorm. They think they could get direct observation of like tornadoes and other big weather things like that."

Kim looked impressed. "Wow. They trust him that much?"

"Apparently so. I mean, being a part of saving the world gives you some credibility. You, of all people, should know that."

"Well, okay…just…it's weird for me, you know?"

"Doy, I think I do know, thank you," Shego said acerbically. "You've been on the side of right all along. Here we are, having been villains for ever and ever and all of a sudden we're being celebrated like we've been your partners for ten years."

"I haven't even been doing missions that long! Well, the important missions, at least."

"Fine, but you get the idea, right?" Kim nodded and Shego continued. "I think I just needed time to be myself for a little while. Drakken wasn't being any fun to tease because he wasn't dreaming up half-assed schemes to take over the world that I could take apart line by line and point out all his mistakes."

"But if you edited his plans, why did they still fail?"

"Oh, he never listened. That's what happens when you lace everything with sarcasm."

"You? Sarcastic? No way."

Shego smirked. "You're learning. I'm impressed."

"I learn from the best."

Shego looked surprised for a second. Kim…complimenting her?

Kim seemed to realize it at the same instant, and the silence in the darkening evening was a bit awkward for a bit. Finally, Kim broke it. "So, um…about bringing you back?"

Shego sighed. "Yeah, I suppose I've been away long enough. We'll go back tomorrow."

"Actually…" Kim felt herself turning red but she couldn't help it. "…if you don't mind, could I stay with you for a couple of days?"

Shego blinked again. "Kim Possible, have you lost your mind? Fraternizing with the enemy, and all that?" Her smirk was back.

"You're not my enemy!" Kim protested. "Not anymore…are you?"

Shego pursed her lips as she thought. "Well…now that's the sixty-four dollar question, isn't it?"

Kim's gaze dropped from Shego's face to the table top. "I just…I don't want to think of you like that anymore. At least, not since a few weeks ago. You actually looked happy when we got back, and I guess I thought it was real. God, how naïve am I?"

Shego was silent for a few seconds again. "Tell you what, Princess: fine, you can stay a couple of days. Then we go back so I can open Drewbie's pickles. While we're here we can try and avoid the enemy thing."

Kim's gaze rose back to meet Shego's. "You mean it?"

"I'd tell you on my honor but…"

"Hey, you have honor, just different. Or something."

"And what makes you say that?" Shego was actually interested. She was a damn _thief_, for fuck's sake.

"Well, did you ever try and shoot me in the back or anything? Track me down while I was injured or sleeping?"

"Well, no, that's just plain wrong."

"See what I mean? That's honor."

"No, it's 'If I kill Kim Possible, Teen Hero, the whole fucking world will come after my ass and won't rest until my head rolls.'"

"Believe that if you want," Kim said with a small smile. "But thanks anyways."

* * *

The next couple of days were…interesting. Shego and Kim maintained an air of civility, and Kim enjoyed herself thoroughly. They didn't pry into each other's lives and that let both of them cut loose for perhaps the first time ever—Shego's tenure as Miss Go notwithstanding.

Kim actually shocked her one day when Shego came in from sunbathing. Kim had said, "I wish I looked like you," in an offhand tone of voice, and that had stunned Shego on the inside. She'd responded on autopilot with something about offering to go find the green paint.

Kim protested. "I meant you have a great figure," she said, her cheeks almost the same color as her hair. In Kim's mind she couldn't believe what she'd been thinking had slipped out, but now that she'd dug her hole there was no way to go but down.

Shego decided to run with it. After all, Kimmie never complained about being teased before. "You like what you see?" she asked salaciously. She spread her arms out and turned a circle in place. The two-piece bathing suit she wore for being in the sun helped show her off very well: the top was cut wide so it showed a lot in the middle, and the bottom was negligible enough to count almost as lingerie.

Kim only realized she was staring when Shego waved a hand in front of her face. Her blush deepened more than either woman thought possible, even for a Possible. Shego was actually thinking Kimmie would pass out, but the younger girl recovered and hid her face in a convenient pillow.

Now Shego was intrigued, so she stood in place with her hands on her hips. "Kimmie," she asked in a normal voice, "did you _really _like what you saw?"

Kim said nothing, only wanting to hide until her face looked normal again.

Shego shook her head. "Do you mean to tell me that the great Kim Possible is a--" She didn't get to finish.

"No!" Kim nearly shouted, shooting up from the pillow. "I'm not," she continued more calmly. "I'm dating Ron and loving every…well, okay, almost every second of it," she finished, half-smiling.

"That's better," Shego said with an answering smile. "If you had said every second I'd have known you were lying." Inside, though, she thought the denial was a little too quick. It was entirely possible Kim was telling the truth, but…she filed the little bit away for future teasing.

"Oh, you have relationship stories for me? These have got to be good." The color had indeed dropped from Kim's cheeks.

Shego sniffed, and Kim could almost hear a door slam noise, like she'd just managed to kill the moment between them somehow. "You know I'm older than you are," she reminded Kim. "Do you really think I'd be so sheltered?"

Kim thought for a second. "Not at all, I've just never seen you with anyone other than Drakken."

"Between you and the Blue Wonder I barely have any time for myself these days, hence these vacations." She waved a hand at the room and proceeded into her bedroom to change.

Kim sighed heavily as Shego left. _What the heck is wrong with me_? she asked herself. Between deciding to stay with Shego, then staring at the green-skinned body like it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen…_Which it is, _she thought, then caught herself and blushed again.

Well, she told herself, so what if she found Shego attractive? Kim thought that she herself was good-looking—and a great many males would agree with her completely—and that didn't mean anything. She thought that about Monique, too, and sometimes Kim wondered why the other girl didn't have more suitors. If anything, Monique's enjoyment of pro wrestling and monster trucks should have been almost as much of a draw as her looks. So if Kim thought of other females as being so physically pleasing, why did she get so worked up over Shego?

More than that, why had she had a sudden, massive urge to touch her?

* * *

Shego just went through the motions of changing clothes; her mind was clearly elsewhere.

Kimmie's stare earlier had unnerved her, and that wasn't a feeling she was accustomed to having. She supposed that she ought to have been flattered by the attention, but…_This is Princess we're talking about_, Shego reminded herself. _She's probably never even seen a naked body besides her own in her life_. Regardless, Kim had been checking her out.

Then there was her denial, which still made Shego smile a bit. She'd answered honestly, and Shego believed her—at least, believed that Kimmie enjoyed her time with the buffoon. But that look earlier meant that Kimmie's mind was wandering down another path, which was probably scaring her as much as it weirded out Shego.

How would she feel if the great and wonderful Kim turned out to swing towards women instead? Or, at least, both ways? Shego wasn't sure yet; she certainly didn't feel uneasy about it, though, as she entertained the notion in her mind. If anything, it would make her more…human, Shego finally thought. Less the near-mythical superhero that was her image and more related to someone like herself.

Hell, Shego thought, they were already almost the same: athletic, intelligent, masters of many styles of martial arts, damn sexy, and cocky enough to really get on each other's nerves. That last, Shego suspected, is why they always had such animosity when they fought: the desire to beat each other down and prove one was the best arose from each believing in their own superiority.

She finally finished dressing, wearing a green jogging suit with black stripes, and walked out to meet Kim again. "Well, Kimmie, it's getting to be that time," she announced when Kim looked at her. "Want to grab something to eat?"

"Um…sure," she said meekly.

Shego sighed. "Look, Princess, you don't have to sound so apologetic. Remember: vacation means relax. If you can't let your hair down here, bad choice of words I know, you won't be able to anywhere."

Kim nodded. "You have a point. So where are we going?"

Shego shrugged. "Out. We'll know when we see it."

* * *

They'd decided on a coney island, of all things. As they sat down to their meals, Kim asked, "Shego, can I ask you a question?"

Shego smirked; she'd always wanted to use this line on someone. "Well, you just did. I'm feeling generous, though. Ask away."

"Thanks," Kim said dryly. "Um…how do I put this…" She started to fidget, looking anywhere but at Shego.

"Spit it out, Cupcake. What, can't admit that I'm a better fighter than you?" she asked with her usual smirk.

Kim's glance told Shego what she thought of that idea. "What I was _going _to say, was…well, what are you going to do?"

The taller woman frowned. "I hate questions like that, I really do."

"Sorry," Kim muttered, downcast. "I didn't mean to make you mad…it's just that, when you'd been zapped by Electronique and were Miss Go for those few days, it was so much fun hanging out with you…even if you did seem infatuated with 'Stevie,'" she finished, looking up to grin impishly.

"Don't remind me," Shego groaned. "At least you didn't have to worry about him trying to sing on your doorstep."

"You have _got _to be kidding," Kim said, looking shocked.

"I wish I were," Shego agreed grimly. "So why do you bring those few days up?"

"Well, mostly because I wanted to know if you remembered anything from it, or something. I don't really know." She lapsed into silence for a second before continuing. "Did I ever tell you what it felt like to me?"

"No, Princess; in case you don't remember, we've not really been on speaking terms," she said wryly.

"Right, right." Kim shook her head. "I told Ron once, because he was so weirded out that you were acting nice and everything. It really felt like you were…like you were the big sister I always wanted." She sighed heavily. "I know it sounds weird, but we had so much in common, and then it all went away. I must sound so incredibly pathetic and sappy right now, but I miss that."

"You're absolutely right, you do sound pathetic, whining over something like that," Shego confirmed, but she watched Kim with half a smile on her face to soften the tone. "Princess, it's my turn to tell you something."

Something inside Kim cringed when she said that. She felt like Shego was going to tell her to get the hell out. Here she was, teen hero, spilling her heart out to her archrival, who probably could care less about what Kim thought or felt. "I can't stop you," she said softly. "Not that I would, but you know what I mean."

"I do. I like you."

"Alright, I'll—wait. What?" Kim wasn't entirely certain her ears were functioning correctly.

"You heard what I said," Shego said, absolutely serious. "I always have, I think."

"You…like me? Like, like me like me, or _like me _like me?"

"I'll let you be the judge of that," Shego said with a grin. "I admit, it took a while. But it's like you said: we have a lot in common. And I enjoy our fights, which is more than I can say for anyone else I've ever gone up against. I think you're right about one thing, though, and that's that it took my vacation from reality as 'Miss Go' to realize it for sure. Though I didn't see you as a little sister. More like my best friend in the universe."

"Wow," breathed Kim. "I assume I'm not your best friend in the universe any more, though?"

"I don't know about that," admitted Shego. "It's hard to stay that way when you're on opposite sides, though that hasn't really been the case these last few weeks, has it?"

"No. Does that bother you?"

"Kimmie, I got out of the heroing business a couple of years before I hooked up with Drakken and met you, so being the 'hero' again isn't something I'm used to," Shego said frankly. "I will say this, though: it was something of a relief to be in public that exalted and not have them reading a list of criminal charges."

"I'll say. And you looked so good in that slinky green dress, too."

Their conversation, now that they'd established mutual respect, if not the beginnings of friendship, turned to other things, such as why Shego left being a hero—villainy was more fun, and she didn't get the same excitement as being on the side of good. Kim told her how she got started in the hero business in the first place, with that botched call to her site to deactivate the laser grid security system, which Shego found vastly amusing.

* * *

Too soon, though, the second day was up, and the next morning they relented and packed their things away for the return trip. When they arrived Kim escorted Shego to the door of Drakken's domicile and asked her to keep in touch, which the green-skinned woman readily accepted. Both had to admit it was very nice to be able to get along without anything getting on each other's nerves or having presupposed notions of being on the side of good and evil in the way.

_Present Day_

The most unfortunate thing, Kim reflected, of Shego and Drakken being back in the villain game was the nigh-impossibility of her and Shego being able to be friends anymore. She hated doing it, but she had to admit that Shego was right about the lack of adrenaline in Kim's line of work; often the villainess was the only thing that Kim really got worked up over, and that was mostly because they were so evenly matched.

The couple of weeks after her talk with Shego had been mostly uneventful, as the world managed to keep itself out of danger for the most part, and Kim found herself idly wondering what Shego and Drakken were up to right at the moment.

_Elsewhere…_

"SHEGO!" The shout rang out like the warning siren it so often was.

"Easy there, Dr. D, I'm in the same room. I don't think you'd even need to shout that loud if I were in Amsterdam."

The cerulean scientist frowned. "What does Amsterdam have to do with anything?"

"Two words, doc: hypothetical scenario. You _do _know what those mean, right?"

"Of _course_ I know what they mean," he said, his voice dangerously controlled. "I _am _a genius, remember?"

Shego didn't respond, at least not with anything Drakken could hear, and he prepared his rant, mentally ticking off the fine points of his latest world conquest scheme.

"Are you ready to be briefed on my newest plan?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be," Shego replied, appropriating a chair, kicking her feet up, and slipping out her nail file. _Time to start the dance again_.

* * *

A/N: Okay, more background. Next chapter will get to the action/adventure, and maybe a little bit of romantic sparking, promise!

And thanks for all your reviews, especially ones with criticism/technique/whatever you want to call it. Hope you continue to enjoy.


	4. Chapter 4: Mountain Madness

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 4

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and Friends all belong to Disney and their creators. Of them I own nothing, from them I profit nothing, and without them this story would be nothing, so there.

* * *

Kim Possible was just starting to wonder how her week could get any more boring when the familiar, happy-minor-third chirp of her Kimmunicator informed her that excitement was impending.

She thumbed the screen on, finding the familiar face of her genius friend. "Hey, Wade. What's the sitch?"

"Got another Drakken sighting." He was busily typing away and staring at another monitor while he spoke to her.

Kim sighed. "What and where?"

"Another doomsday device in another lair, this one apparently in Nepal. Himalayas, specifically."

"Him and his mountain lairs," Kim said disbelievingly. "I'm starting to wonder about his mental state." When Wade looked at her with one eyebrow up she amended, "Well, wonder _more_. Anyway, did you get Ron, too?"

"Just about to, actually."

"I'll get him," Kim said instead. "Did you get us a ride?"

"Details coming on that, but yes."

"Have it stop by Ron's house," she said. "He's playing with his little sister, last I knew." She opened her closet and grabbed her mission clothing. "I'll be there shortly."

"Okay then," Wade said. "We'll be in touch." He signed off, leaving Kim to change and leave.

* * *

Kim and Ron sat in the back pair of seats of a helicopter as it beat its way through the Himalayan mountaintops. Wade had used two rides to get them to their destination, as the mountains were a bit sheer for skydiving.

The chopper touched down outside an imposing-looking fortress-style building situated about halfway up a mountainside—it was still just below the snow line, so while the air was quite chilly, the ground was grass and rock, not slick. Kim and Ron clambered out of the helicopter, Kim thanking the pilot as was her custom, and moved out of the way as it lifted up and flew away.

The hero and sidekick inspected the castle-like lair for a moment. "Uh, Kim," Ron began, "wasn't the last lair at the _top _of a mountain?" She nodded, and he continued. "And this one's halfway down…maybe I'm just being paranoid, but do you think it's got something to do with the top itself?"

Kim looked thoughtful. He had a point, after all, and the funny thing was that since graduation—and especially since they'd ended their serious relationship—Ron had been observant, even intelligent about things, which meant when he asked questions she actually thought about them. Nothing was coming to mind, though, even though Kim was mentally sorting through as many past experiences with Drakken as she could. "I think you're right, but we can't tell from out here. Let's go."

All business, Team Possible set off to do what they did best.

* * *

Their infiltration was as seamless as it could be, Ron didn't lose his pants, and the two of them were standing in the shadows listening to Drakken recount his scheme to whatever captive audience was there. Kim was guessing it was Shego, since that's how it usually turned out.

"—and once the Automatic Geoseismic Terrain Leveler finishes charging, the gravity shear it will create will be enough to rip even these famous mountains from their places and fling them away, or drop them wherever I want. The world will tremble as I, Doctor Drakken, hold its major landmarks hostage until they proclaim me ruler!"

"Good plan, Dr. D," Shego's voice said idly, and Kim fought back a smile, as she usually did, when she listened to the villainess' sarcastic comments. "Except for one thing: _our _mountain."

"Oh," he replied, sounding a little deflated. Then it appeared he remembered something. "Right! That's why we're below the snow line, Shego," he said, sounding smug. "The Automatic Geoseismic Terrain Leveler is on its lowest setting right now, which means we can take a little off the top first, instead of taking the whole thing."

"A mountain razor?" Shego asked, still sounding skeptical. For that matter, Kim was, as well.

"Precisely. And once I rule," he said, rubbing his gloved hands together, "that little piffle Dementor won't be able to say I couldn't succeed anymore."

"You'll have to get there, first," Kim declared, stepping from the shadows, "and that means getting through us."

"Kim Possible!" Drakken shouted. He had to visibly calm himself, and when he did his blue face was back in its trademark evil grin. "You're too late to—"

"Stop you this time, right?" Kim interrupted, a smirk on her face.

Drakken's patience snapped again. "Will you cut it out with finishing my sentences, you lippy Possible? Shego, attack!" he yelled, pointing at Kim as if Shego were a hunting dog.

Shego rolled off her chair. Igniting her hands, she charged at Kim, who dodged the initial attack effortlessly. The two of them mixed it up while Ron went after Drakken, the whole thing working like a well-choreographed, flawlessly-executed ballet—a very _violent_ ballet. Ron even released Rufus from his pocket, telling the little pink naked mole rat to wreak as much havoc as he could.

Well, what Ron _actually _said was, "Go, Rufus!" as he deposited his pint-sized partner on the floor, but the unspoken context was to have Rufus wreak as much havoc as he could. Rufus was very good at unseen havoc-wreaking.

Shego swept her arms out in grand arcs, making Kim take a step back each time she swung. Each could tell from the other's eyes that neither of them was that into the fight, though, which meant it was just a little slower than usual—more like they were sparring than fighting all-out. Kim reached a leg out and tripped Shego while the other woman was advancing, but Shego recovered quickly enough, kicking into a kip-up while Kim backed away from the flying feet. Slowly but surely Kim maneuvered around their little battlefield until she had her back to Ron's fight—or, well, Ron's running for his life dodging Drakken's laser-armed lair defenses—before she allowed Shego in close enough for Kim to grab her; Kim fell back, rolled her legs up, and kicked out as she rocked from her back to her shoulders. Shego flew across the room, but righted herself in the air and landed on her feet perhaps thirty feet away.

Kim climbed back to her feet in time to dodge a brilliant green plasma projectile. "You gonna dance for me, Princess?" Shego drawled, and Kim had to bite back another laugh as she saw Shego's hands, held with thumb and pointer finger out with the rest of her fingers curled in, as if she were holding a pair of six-shooters. She fired off low-powered shots—at least, Kim figured they were low-powered because they weren't doing much damage to the floor as they impacted. Kim still was of a mind not to get hit, though, so she flipped, jumped, cartwheeled, and tumbled out of the way of each shot.

_Now _they were enjoying themselves. Kim was concentrating on dodging too much to pay attention to her own face, so she was grinning like an idiot from the fun. Shego was smiling slightly, too; her expression was too happy to be called a smirk.

Kim covered a lot of ground with her flips and jumps, and soon enough she was standing within arm's reach of her opponent. Shego's hands lost their green glow as she continued to point at Kim, and she made little clicking noises. "Uh oh, all out," she said, looking at her hands, an expression of mild panic on her face.

Kim couldn't take it anymore; she started laughing, long and loud. Shego smiled a little wider as she watched Kim; a lot of the tension from the beginning of the fight, tension that had been building up since their first encounter a few days ago on that other mountain, started to melt away as Kim giggled madly, bending almost in half and holding her stomach. Shego was glad the redhead wasn't so angry with her anymore; their mall conversation had left her feeling a little bit disappointed in herself, especially after those lame-ass answers she'd given Kimmie. Oh, they'd been true enough, and were completely real and valid; however, and Shego hadn't said it at the time, after the way her brothers treated her back on Team Go she wasn't really ready for the whole hero thing again. If she could she'd much rather just be left to do her own thing, but that wasn't going to happen, at least not as long as she had her unique…attributes.

Kim finally calmed herself to rationality, or at least a close semblance, as she tried to quell the few remaining giggles. She wasn't sure why she was so amused by Shego's antics, except for maybe they were so uncharacteristic of the villainess from the past. She looked at Shego's face and was privately a little shocked to see her expression. First, she was smiling. Second, she was smiling at Kim, and that made her feel good inside. She also felt a little…odd, since for some reason her mind was bringing up the various lewd comments Shego made every so often and reversing them, tempting Kim to say them right back. The other thing was, Shego's eyes looked…soft. Not mushy soft, she corrected herself, just not the granite-hard jade green they usually were. They looked human enough to let Kim know that Shego was letting her guard down around Kim. A very strange impulse overtook Kim at that moment, and she leaned forward and flung her arms around Shego's neck.

Shego, for her part, was absolutely shocked that Kimmie was even able to attempt such a thing, much less that she actually did it.

"That was too much fun," Kim said quietly into her ear, and Shego found herself doing something she hadn't done in many, many years.

She blushed.

"Hey, Princess, that's what I'm here for," she said when her tongue untied itself. Having Kim pressed against her like this was doing strange things to her mind; while she knew she liked Kim, Shego was pretty sure it wasn't at _that _stage, but the mental images she was getting now, and probably would get in dreams for the next couple of days, belied that notion. Her blush only deepened, tinting her cheeks a darker green. She awkwardly put her arms around Kim as well, privately noting how Kim fit almost perfectly against her. It was strange, she thought, how often they'd been in full-contact combat…and yet a situation like this hadn't occurred once in over four years.

Something in the back of her mind told her it was a _good _situation.

Kim released her arms from Shego's neck, and Shego withdrew her arms almost instantly, as if she were embarrassed. Kim looked up and saw Shego's face, and she smiled again, but said nothing for the moment.

The smile clinched it for Shego. It was too happy, too radiant, to leave alone…and it was directed at _her. _Not once had she ever had anyone regard her that way—at least, not since she was a child, before the meteor hit. That the smile was coming from Kim made it that much better. Heaving a much-put-upon sigh, she sidestepped around Kim, lifted a hand, and charged it up. A few seconds later a huge blast erupted from it, streaking forward, singing both Ron and Drakken as it passed them rolling on the floor, fighting over control of a remote of some sort. The plasma spattered against one of the supports for Drakken's superweapon, eating almost entirely through it before the concussive force of the blast crumpled corners and edges on the Leveler. Alarms began to sound and various status lights on both weapon and controller blinked to red as its charging sequence was interrupted and its aim thrown totally off. Ominous metallic creaking noises resounded through the lair as the remaining supports gave way; they couldn't hold the weight and the machine's awkward new positioning.

Rufus poked his head out of the control panel of the device at the noise, then looked at Ron and Drakken before scampering out and away.

For their part, the sidekick and villainous supergenius halted their wrestling, split apart, and dashed away. Drakken looked _extremely _upset. "SHEGO!" he hollered, as usual.

"Sorry, Dr. D!" she called, though the look on her face said she was anything but. She and Kim had retreated around a corner when things started going south. "I missed!"

Kim almost collapsed again, she was laughing so hard.

Ron beckoned his own sidekick to him, holding the particular pocket open. "Come on, Rufus!" he cheered as the mole rat climbed his pant leg in a flash and slipped into the pocket. Ron then did the one thing he did best: run. He left Drakken behind and skidded around the same corner Shego and Kim had used, only to find a most unusual sight: Kim practically rolling on the floor laughing and Shego standing there looking eminently satisfied. "Uh, KP? You okay there?" he asked, caught halfway between rushing in to help her to her feet and standing rooted in absolute confusion. Needless to say, the circumstances were…unusual.

"She'll be fine," the green-skinned woman said, waving dismissively.

Ron was somewhat aware than Kim and Shego had mended some personal differences in the last few months, but he still didn't quite trust her—especially since she was operating with Drakken again these days. Then again, he _had _almost been roasted by a blast which had destroyed Drakken's machine… Trying to put the pieces together only made him more confused, so he went with her word. "Let's get out of here before it falls completely apart," he said, moving to grab Kim off the floor.

A tremendous explosion marked the beginning of the end of the Leveler. The lair shook violently and pieces of the superstructure began to fall, including a giant bit of ceiling girder that crashed to the floor about eight inches in front of Ron's outstretched arm. He eeped and leapt back, and Rufus retreated his head back into his pocket, squealing loudly.

The impact snapped Kim back to seriousness in a heartbeat. She leapt to her feet, concern etched on her face. "Ron!" she yelled. She couldn't see through the mess, between the metalwork and the cloud of dust and sparks it kicked up, and she was worried.

"Kim!" he yelled back, which set her at ease. He didn't sound injured, just panicked.

Shego pulled on Kim's arm. "Come on, Princess. He's fine, but we all gotta get out of here before it falls on us."

Kim resisted the tug, staring at the wreckage for a second, before she reached a decision. "Ron, get yourself and Rufus out of here. We can't get around this; we'll find another way out."

Ron didn't respond for a second, which made Kim worry again, but he finally said, "Alright, KP. See you on the other side."

Kim heard his footsteps over the din, then turned to Shego. "Alright," she told the taller woman. "Our turn. And what about Drakken?"

Shego scoffed. "The dork builds four or five escape routes into each lair. How else did we get away in the past?"

"Point taken. Okay, so he's long gone…at least he's foiled. Nice shot, by the way."

"Thanks, but run now, talk later." She suited action to words and dashed off, Kim following closely. The acrobatic pair leapt over and dashed around the various obstacles in their path, from downed girders to power cables to the occasional leaked energy blast from the dying Automatic Geoseismic Terrain Leveler. Shego blasted a chunk of ceiling away and they wall-jumped between a pair of still-standing support pillars until Kim pulled out her hair drier grappling hook and shot the tether clean through the opening. She felt it latch onto something, grabbed Shego around the waist, and flipped the device to 'return' mode, pulling the two of them through the ceiling and onto the roof. They landed while still moving forward, momentum carrying them into a dead run along the sloping surface. They ran out of roof before they ran out of steam; Shego grabbed Kim's hand tightly and leaped right off the edge.

Kim was actually a little worried; as Drakken had said earlier, they were below the snow line, which meant not a lot of cushion for the bottom of their fall. She looked at Shego's face, which was set in deep concentration, and wondered if the super-thief was as scared as Kim was—or even if she was scared at all. She turned her attention back to the ground rushing up at them.

Suddenly Shego yanked on Kim's arm, bringing the younger girl around in midair. Kim cried out in shock since she completely wasn't expecting the maneuver, but silenced herself when Shego grabbed Kim up in her own arms, one each under Kim's shoulders and knees. The ground was coming awfully fast now, and Kim 'eep'ed and buried her face in Shego's shoulder, which actually made the older woman smile slightly.

Then the lair blew up.

The explosion was spectacular, more so than it really ought to have been, except for the fact that there were probably a few hovercraft left behind to contribute their not-inconsiderable fuel sources to the blast. Pieces of the Leveler rained down, their velocity assisted by the force of the blast, but luckily none of them impacted with Kim or Shego as they continued to fall.

Just as Kim thought they should have been hitting the ground the blast wave caught up with them, tossing both escapees forward with the disdain for mere mortals that all forces of Newtonian physics exhibit.

"Hang on tight, Princess," Shego growled as they continued to lose altitude. Their new vector was going to take them well past the foot of the mountain and into the light forest beyond it.

Kim obeyed instantly, putting her arms around Shego's neck again, and a small corner of her mind urged her to put her face against Shego's neck, too—the small corner that wasn't joining the rest in nearly gibbering in sheer terror, that is.

Shego thought fast as they fell towards the trees. As expected of forests near mountains, most of the plants were evergreens, complete with gnarled trunks where lower branches had fallen off as they grew higher. Shego freed her arm from under Kim's shoulders and pointed at one tree in particular, the one she judged the best fit from their current trajectory. She ignited her hand and sent a burst at the root of that tree, sending another for good measure half a second later. Both shots impacted, smashing the hell out of the trunk towards the ground; by the nature of the species, the trees were tall and thin, without the massive girth of, say, an oak tree. Shego's plasma exploded almost on contact, blowing chunks of wood and large splinters yards away from the tree, and eating almost completely through the trunk. Shego flung another shot at the top of the tree, but this one was weakened such that it pushed the tree back instead of blowing it up. The tree began to tilt away from them, but before it could fall completely they were on it. Shego again yanked Kim around in midair, spinning them so Kim wouldn't bear the brunt of the impact; she couldn't bear to see the little hero hurt like that.

That was her last thought before impact.

* * *

A/N: Didn't want to end there but it was getting long enough; I have to update _some _time, after all.

King in Yellow, I appreciate the criticism. I didn't notice the flaw, but I'm not an outside, unbiased observer, either :)

To everyone else, thank you kindly for your reviews. I hope you continue to read and enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5: Alone Time

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 5

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for elevated cardiac levels after the last chapter, or heightened amounts of adrenaline in your system, or..oh! Disclaimer, not surgeon general's warning. KP & Co. aren't mine. I don't make a profit off this. If I did, I'd have to go through royalties and lawyers and all that, and this story would undoubtedly be a lot better since I'd have editors and publishers and all that, too.

On with the show!

* * *

Shego groaned deeply as she stirred back to consciousness. Every inch of her hurt, and hurt a lot. Even moving her head side to side was extremely painful. Hell, even breathing felt like she had broken, if not bruised, a couple of ribs when she hit the tree.

_This is even worse than when Kimmie knocked me into that power pole a year and some ago_, she thought grimly, then grimaced. _And even thinking hurts_. _Ow_.

Forcing herself to ignore at least some of the pain, though, she heaved herself up into a sitting position. The first thing she became aware of was that it was night; what sky she could see overhead was black, though offset by thousands of stars. She sometimes forgot what the sky looked like away from cities and the associated light pollution; even the moon seemed brighter than usual, and it wasn't even full. She was sitting on a carpet of pine needles, she saw by moonlight, and the tree she'd smacked into lay off to one side. Other trees, not nearly dense enough to obstruct her view for a long distance, stood straight and tall, apparently undisturbed by her crash landing. It was eerily quiet, though; perhaps the fallen tree had scared some of the animal population away. The only noticeable sound was that of a mountain stream, though Shego couldn't see it; she was still too groggy to judge its distance by sound. She laid herself back on the ground and stared at the sky. A stray thought crossed her mind: _I wonder how often Princess takes time to appreciate the scenery like this_.

…

_Kim!_

Shego shot up again and hissed in pain as her injured body protested yet more movement. Frantically she looked around the new little clearing, seeking any trace of the smaller adventurer. The needles did a good job of covering any sort of tracks Kim would have made, as Shego could see nothing of her, which meant Kim had gone off somewhere.

Now that Shego's head didn't hurt so much, she could remember rocketing towards the tree with Kim, switching around at the last second to try and shield Kim from the impact; she knew from past experience that Kim, while tougher than she looked, didn't heal nearly as fast as Shego herself did. Of course, Shego had an edge that came from her meteor-induced powers, so pretty much nobody else healed like she did…except her brothers.

She shook off her wandering thoughts and tried to focus on looking for Kim. She really had no idea why the redhead would have left, as they were enough in the middle of nowhere that the nearest help was probably a Buddhist temple hiding somewhere deeper into the mountains themselves. Shego was of no mind to go knocking on temple doors for help, though, so she forced herself to her feet. A massive spike of pain through her left leg let her know instantly that that was a really, really _bad _idea, and she almost collapsed in a heap; she carefully sat down, using her right leg and arms to do the lifting, and prodded her other leg carefully. She wasn't particularly enthused about stripping out of her catsuit to check for bruising—her fingers and leg would let her know, though she doubted she had two square inches of skin that _wasn't _bruised—so she simply made sure nothing was broken.

Her ankle hurt like a bitch, though she could still move it, which meant most probably a sprain, at least in her mind. Setting her teeth against the pain she stood up again, this time making sure to use her left side as little as possible. She hobbled over to a standing tree, leaning against it to catch her breath, and took another look around.

The moonlight was bright enough for Shego to see a long distance, but she saw absolutely zero signs of movement. A feeling not unlike panic gripped her as she realized she was alone, and that scared her slightly. Shego hadn't felt panic since…actually, she couldn't remember exactly when. It wasn't pleasant, especially since the feeling, combined with her aches, pains, sprains, and bruises, was causing her to hyperventilate. She shut her eyes tight and forced herself to breathe normally.

_What the hell is wrong with me, _she thought. _Why am I in such bad shape?_

No answer was forthcoming, but she did manage to calm down. She opened her eyes again, this time looking for the source of the water noise. It was faint enough to suggest a bit of a walk, and she grimaced at the thought, but she knew she was tougher than a sprained ankle and lots of bruises.

After a brief walk—hobble, really—she found herself at the top of a slight decline, at the bottom of which was the stream she had been hearing. The reflected moonlight suggested the stream was quite deep, and she could see its banks easily, which she estimated at a good twelve feet or so apart. It was a fairly large stream, and she was sure it was freezing, since it flowed down from the mountain.

Then movement caught her eye from her peripheral vision, and she turned to look…and turned away just as quickly.

A very naked, very wet Kim Possible was standing a few feet into the little river.

After a few seconds, Shego was struck by something: since when was she self-conscious about other people, especially Kimmie? She was the big, bad Shego, unafraid of seeing her opponents reduced to pitiful emotional wrecks when she was done humiliating them with her skills and powers. The thing was…Kim was practically her equal. She hadn't been able to do that to Kim, not once, not ever. The littler redhead, in fact, almost always came out on top. That meant, to Shego, that Kim was more worthy of her respect than anyone else she'd come across yet…and she'd earned it. _Maybe that's why I'm…embarrassed for her_.

Regardless, Shego felt a massive amount of relief behind the embarrassment as she realized she, indeed, was not alone.

A mild splash made her turn around again, and she watched as Kim bent in half at the waist, letting her head fall and dousing her hair in the water. She ran her fingers through it, then straightened again, causing the sodden mess to slap against her back.

Shego felt her breath catch at the sight. The moonlight—both real and reflected—bathed Kim as completely as the water did, and her skin fairly well glowed. _If I didn't know I liked her already, _this _scene would convince me_, she thought in something akin to awe. She took a step forward, hoping to come clear away from the tree trunk she was hidden behind and get a better view.

She happened to come down on her left foot.

A strangled hiss escaped her as she fell to her knees, hands going to support her on the ground as her injured ankle gave out under her body weight. She kept her head up, though, watching Kim's reaction.

The slender hero whipped her head around at the noise, and she dropped into a combat stance despite her nudity. Shego could see her searching for the source of the noise, and raised a hand weakly in greeting. "Hey, Princess."

Kim relaxed slightly, though one arm moved to cover her breasts while the other went to her side, her hand pressing against it. "You're awake!" she said.

"That I am," Shego acknowledged. "And I'm hurting like a sonuvabitch."

"How…how's your head?"

Shego levered herself into a sitting position. "Feels okay, but from the sound of your voice…" She reached up and gingerly patted around her skull. Her hair, though rife with pine needles, felt dry enough to the touch, nothing caking it together, and she didn't feel anything terribly out of the ordinary. "I don't feel anything," she reported.

"You have _no _idea how glad I am to hear that," Kim answered, sitting down herself in the water. It rose to just under her shoulders.

"You're not alone," Shego replied dryly. "Tell you what, though, I don't remember much of anything between flying at the tree and waking up on the ground."

"Concussion, probably," Kim said. "I…don't remember, either. I had my eyes shut tight until we stopped moving."

Shego grunted. "Can't say that I blame you."

"When…when we landed on the ground I was scared stiff that you'd finally done something dumb enough to not wake up from it," Kim said after a short pause. "You didn't wake up for so long…it took me like ten minutes to even remember to check for your heartbeat."

Something in Shego cringed at the tone of Kim's voice; apparently the hero had been suffering some serious anguish while Shego had been knocked out. "Sorry about that, Kimmie," she said.

Kim surprised her by uttering a short, sharp "Ha!" She shook her head. "You don't have anything to be sorry over," she said, and in the light Shego could barely make out a half-grin. "It's not like you could control the circumstances any better than you did. Stupid me, I didn't have my jetpack or glider wings or anything like that, either. Besides, it seems I really _can _do anything—even panic."

Shego's mouth turned up into its usual smirk. "I almost wish I could have been awake to see that."

"It wasn't a pretty sight," Kim admitted. Silence fell between them for a moment until Kim spoke again. "Could…could you maybe turn around while I get out of here? It's _freezing_…"

"Why's that, Princess? I mean, I could join you, maybe heat things up a bit," Shego returned with a leer. "You, me, no one else, no animals, no clothes, chilly mountain stream…very picture of romantic, wouldn't you think? All we'd need are some candles." She held up a plasma-encased finger; her reward was a few droplets of water raining on her face as Kim tried her hardest to splash the other woman from her sitting position.

"I swear," Kim huffed, "that sometimes you're a bigger perv than Ron or Felix, and they're _guys_, so you'd expect that."

Shego laughed, even though it still really hurt to do so. "Relax, Princess. I won't do anything you don't want me to do. I owe you at least that much."

"Thanks. Does that mean you're still going to watch me get dressed?"

Shego nodded. "Mmhm. And I'm gonna enjoy every second of it, you sexy thing you." She made a little growl noise to emphasize her point, dearly wishing she could see Kim's face in better light right now. It was probably ten different shades of red.

"Fine," Kim sighed. She rose from the water, a hand at her side again as she gingerly picked her way to the shore. Shego couldn't help but stare as she moved; she was so lithe, so graceful, even while freezing and probably shivering to death. Still, there was something about the arm pressed against her torso that Shego didn't like.

"Princess, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm freezing, shivering, soaking wet, and slightly embarrassed, but otherwise, yes. Why?"

"Are you cramping?"

"No…" Kim stopped, allowing some excess water to continue dripping off before getting to her clothes. "Oh. This?" she asked, lifting the arm in question.

"Yeah," Shego confirmed. "You okay?" she repeated.

Kim laughed weakly. "Do you want the honest answer or the feel-good answer?"

"Honest," Shego said instantly, frowning slightly. _If she's injured, I'll…I'll…_

"Well, when we hit the tree, you got KO'd almost instantly—at least, I think so, since you weren't holding on as tight anymore. I hit a few branches on the way down, one scratched up my side, and another," she finished, indicating her clothes, "yanked my Kimmunicator off my wrist."

"Shit," Shego swore. "How long was I out?" Her mood had gone from relief to anger and fear in the time it took for Kim to explain how she'd gotten hurt. She was _not _a happy camper by any stretch of the imagination.

"Only a couple of hours, I think," Kim answered. "Look, Shego, don't beat yourself up or anything—at least, not any more beat up than you already are," she finished with half a grin. "I'm okay, really. It just stings a little."

"Like hell it does, Kimmie," Shego said, forcing herself to her feet, still favoring the bothersome left ankle. She limped down to where Kim stood. "Lemme look at it," she demanded. Kim shied away, covering herself again; up this close, Shego could make out the blush painting Kim's cheeks. Shego grunted in frustration. "Look, Kimmie, I'm not going to feel any better about this until I can see it for myself, okay? It's my fault, anyway, so I'm going to look at it one way or another. And if it makes you feel better, it's all I'm going to inspect."

Kim relented finally with a big sigh. Shego could tell she was still embarrassed, but the fact that she was willing meant Kim trusted her, and Shego privately admitted that was a very nice feeling. She hadn't given it much thought before—frankly, before escaping from the lair, she hadn't really had a reason to think on it—but in this less-tense moment Shego felt special that she _had _Kim's trust. And she damned well wasn't going to do anything to violate it.

That, unfortunately, meant that she had to be chaste while inspecting Kim's side. Much as she would have loved to even tickle the redhead, she held herself back, instead keeping a serious expression while she checked on Kim's injury.

It wasn't terrible, Shego decided; it was a little too deep to be a scrape but too shallow to be a laceration or whatever the proper medical term would be. It had been bleeding, that she could see, but the chill water had helped cease the flow—that and the time that had elapsed. She placed her hand over the injury and stood up, ignoring the pain in her ankle, looking Kim in the eye.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

Kim said nothing for a moment, and Shego figured she'd scared her again or something from the look in her eyes. After all, Shego apologizing was not an everyday occurrence—in fact, the only time she herself could recall doing so was long before she'd started working for Drakken; the Moodulator and Attitudinator didn't count, because then she wasn't really herself. This time, though, she really _was _sorry; the chance of having Kim as a friend had been looking too good to pass up, and then she had to go and do this to her. Shego wasn't sure if, after this, Kim would have anything to do with her again…and while before, Shego probably couldn't have cared any less, right now the thought was almost physically painful, which came as a huge surprise.

She needn't have worried, apparently; a few seconds passed before Kim smiled shyly. "I told you already, you don't have anything to apologize for," she said, though she didn't move from under Shego's touch.

"Just let me be pathetic for a few minutes," Shego said, mirroring Kim's smile with a little more confidence. "Trust me; you won't see it again any time soon."

Kim giggled lightly. "If you insist," she said, and Shego could see her shoulders relax.

"Are you really okay?" she asked Kim, concern in her eyes.

"Honest, I'll be fine. I've had far worse," Kim reminded her.

"Alright. I guess I'll believe you." She let Kim go, and the other girl shivered at the loss of heat. "And get your clothes on. You're giving a whole new meaning to being an adventure buff." Kim giggled but obeyed, and when she was dressed again she helped Shego limp back to where they'd come from.

By now the moon was well past its peak. Kim said, "Unless you want to do something, I'd suggest we sleep for the night."

Shego was thoroughly exhausted, hungry, hurting, and irritable in general, so Kim's suggestion was taken as a godsend. "That sounds _wonderful_," she said, slipping her arm off Kim's shoulder and flopping on the ground. "Don't wake me up early," she warned, lying down and turning on her less-injured right side, facing Kim. She fell asleep quickly, her breathing dropping into the deep, regular rhythm of total rest.

* * *

Less than an hour later Shego was slightly disturbed in her rest; she cracked one eye open to see Kim curled up almost into a ball, one arm around Shego's waist, the crown of her head practically under Shego's nose. Shego draped her arm in turn over Kim and went back to sleep, feeling much more content than she had…in a very long time.

* * *

It was the sun in her face that finally woke Shego the next day, the offending orb shining almost directly into Shego's eyes. _Just my luck that I wind up facing east when I sleep_, she figured. She stretched languorously, taking stock of how her body responded; she was pretty pleased to note that most of the aches and pains from the night before were gone, and her left leg was feeling less like it was utterly broken and more like it was sore. She got to her feet, happy again at how her ankle was ready to support more weight, and looked around for her companion.

She spotted Kim a little ways away, stretching away the soreness from the day before. "Morning, Kimmie," she waved, and the adventurer waved back in the middle of a back-bend. Shego waited patiently while Kim finished before speaking again. "How're you feeling today?"

"Less like a train wreck and more like a person," she answered frankly, "except I'm starving."

"That makes two of us," Shego agreed. "On both counts." She did a little experimental loosening-up of her own and found, to her pleasant surprise, that the activity helped work out most of the rest of the leftover effects from yesterday's arboreal stunt. "Are you up for a bit of a hike, Princess?" she asked when finished.

"Sure," Kim said readily. "Are we finding a way out of here?"

"If I'm right, we won't need to," Shego answered with a hint of a smile.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, but Shego would say nothing, no matter how much she badgered her about it. Instead, she simply set off, and Kim followed, the two of them picking their way through the light forest and back to the foot of the mountain. They set about climbing the side a short way, extremely thankful that the lair blowing up hadn't dislodged the snow cap or caused a cataclysmic rock slide. Shego called a halt about four hours later as she scanned the area carefully.

"What are you looking for?" Kim asked, her curiosity now evident in her voice.

"A thing," Shego said vaguely; her attention was clearly elsewhere. She was searching for a particular rock formation that was supposed to disguise the entrance to another emergency exit for her jet, similar to the one she'd used at Dr. D's last lair. After about fifteen minutes of looking from various angles, she finally found it, breathing a sigh of relief that the rock itself looked less than obliterated despite its proximity to the lair itself. The boulders that masked it were still blackened and carbon-scored, and one was actually half-melted, but they'd held up. Shego ignited her hands and warned Kim to stand back before she unleashed a double-fisted blast at the base of the giant rocks. Between the energy and concussive force of her power the boulders were easily dislodged, tumbling down the mountainside to pulverize a few trees at the entrance to the forest. Where the rocks had been, there now was a pair of dull metal doors.

Kim gaped at the scene, her face impersonating a fish remarkably well. Shego only smirked, saying nothing, as she pressed her still-glowing hands to the doors; once again, rear-mounted temperature sensors detected her lethal heat and the doors ground open. Shego put her hands out and walked back to Kim. "Coming, Princess?" she asked, holding a hand out to the other girl.

Kim snapped her mouth shut and shook her head. "And why didn't I ever see one of these before?"

Shego shrugged, her hand still extended. "I never used one; Dr. D and I usually escaped together, remember."

Kim nodded and took the proffered hand, and Shego pulled her close. Kim 'eep'ed gently at the contact.

"Relax, Pumpkin," Shego said soothingly. "It's a small platform." Indeed, when Kim looked down and saw the three-foot-square plate under their feet, she relaxed as ordered. The platform began its descent, and Kim and Shego waited in silence. Kim actually relaxed to the point that she put an arm around Shego's waist, which the super-powered woman didn't fail to notice. It made her feel good inside, made her feel safe, which, to her, was funny, since _Shego_ was going to be the one to get them to safety.

At the bottom of the shaft the platform stopped, and they got off. Kim gasped lightly when she saw Shego's jet sitting in its quick-launch rigging. She looked up at Shego. "You've had this a lot longer than the one time I saw it a couple of years ago, haven't you?"

"Exactly right, Kimmie," Shego said with some pride. "Believe it or not, I'm actually a licensed pilot. I can fly _without _stealth and be totally legit."

Kim scoffed. "That's a stretch…but I suppose in a sneaky sense that's even sneakier than stealth."

"More like brazen," Shego said, her smirk returning. "Anyway, this is our ticket home, as I'm sure you guessed."

"I had an idea," Kim confessed with a cheeky grin.

"Good for you, I always knew you were smarter than the rest." Shego released Kim to unlock the wall cabinet containing her g-suits. "Lemme get these out, we'll get into them and get out of this silly place."

"What about Drakken?" Kim asked.

"Dr. D's either long-gone and on his own, or crashed somewhere—and with his luck, he crashed into a police station. He's probably being jailed as we speak for destruction of public property, at least until they dig up the rest of his dirt."

"You're not going to help him? Break him out?"

Shego leveled a flat look at Kim. "I thought that much was evident when I blew up his geo-auto-whatsit-thingy."

To say Kim looked shocked was an understatement; she looked like the sky turned yellow and grass was purple. "You mean—?"

"Yes, Kimmie," Shego agreed, sounding exasperated, though the slight smile that accompanied the words softened her tone somewhat. "I mean I'm giving up Dr. D and his life of take-over-the-world. We both know that I could do a _much_ better job of it anyway, but that's just not my thing." Before Kim could squeal like a little schoolgirl, Shego continued, "That doesn't mean I'm taking up the hero-ing thing again, you know."

Kim deflated almost as quickly as she'd gotten excited. "Aww, you and your reality check." She sighed. "I guess that makes sense, though. I don't think I would be ready for something like that, either."

"And I don't know that I'll _ever _be ready," Shego agreed. "Not after my brothers ruined it for me, at least. But enough about that for now. Put this on." She handed Kim one of the g-suits and took another one for herself. She helped the now-docile cheerleader get into hers before pulling her own on and zipping it up. She grabbed two helmets off the top rack, handed one to Kim, and walked a ladder over to the side of the jet, bracing it against the fuselage under the cockpit.

She turned back to Kim. "It's gonna be a tight fit, trying to get us both in there," she said, "but I think we can handle it for a few hours, don't you?"

"You know me," Kim responded with a weak attempt at a smile. "I can--"

"Do anything, right," Shego finished. "Shouldn't have asked."

They ascended the ladder, Shego settling onto the pilot's seat and Kim climbing awkwardly into her lap. Shego had to put her helmeted head on Kim's shoulder in order to see. "Okay, Princess," she said quietly, her breath on Kim's ear and cheek, "this might be rough." Kim nodded slightly and donned her helmet. Shego flicked the jet's systems on switch by switch, watching their panels as the lights came up green. When the engines started she gave them a few seconds to warm up; she then punched a short series of numbers into the keypad on the front panel. The display paused for a moment before the words "Catapult Ready" appeared, and Shego pushed her throttle forward. The jet's turbines increased their volume from a whine to a scream, but as the tunnel was designed with an aircraft-carrier-style catapult system, it didn't move. A countdown appeared on the screen, and Shego kept one hand on the stick while the other went around Kim's chest, pulling her closer. The countdown reached zero, Shego pressed a button on the stick, and the jet took off like a scared cat; it cleared its two hundred mile per hour speed cap just before the tunnel exit and only continued accelerating as they climbed gradually.

A minute later they were several tens of thousands of feet in the air. Shego relaxed her grip on Kim, who was a bit wide-eyed and breathing heavily. "You okay there, Kimmie?" she asked, her voice neutral; she wanted to tease, but Kim's behavior had her slightly concerned.

"Yeah, I think," the other girl answered. "It's just…that was my first time…" Her voice trailed off, sentence unfinished.

Shego grinned evilly. _Bad choice of words_. "You mean I was your first?" she asked, her voice the very model of innocence. She even faked a gasp.

Kim nodded before Shego's words sunk in; she then flushed bright red. "Shego!" she nearly shrieked.

The former villainess just laughed and laughed.

* * *

Five hours later they landed.

As far as Shego was concerned, it was a repeat of the last time she'd fled via jet—she landed in the same parking lot, taxied into the same underground hangar, and led Kim to her hideout. Kim was, for lack of a better term, in awe.

"Why did you ever leave this place?" she asked. "This is amazing."

"Eh, I had to earn my living somehow," Shego replied, shrugging it off. "Remember, Dr. D paid me a lot of money. Now you know where a lot of it went. I've got places like this all over."

"No wonder nobody had any clue where you went when you weren't out and about with Drakken."

"That's kinda the point, Kimmie," Shego said dryly. "Otherwise it wouldn't be much of a hideout, now, would it?"

"I know _that_," Kim said, exasperated. "But still. This place is incredible. It looks like a real home. Just without windows."

"I strive for creature comforts," Shego replied. "Makes it easier to relax." She pointed to a corner of the room. "Through there's the bathroom. If you want it, go for it, otherwise I'm going to hog it for a long, long time."

Kim waved her off. "It's your home. Hideout. Whatever. If you want to go first, no big."

Shego shrugged again. "Your loss." She ventured into the bathroom and began to strip down for the nice, long, hot shower she'd told Kim she was going to take. She turned the water on, intending on having it get as hot as she could stand it—which was actually much warmer than most people—and watched the water vapor fog up the mirror.

Then she got a really evil, really amusing idea: as she slipped out of her undergarments, she cracked open the door slightly, spotting Kim watching the large screen television. With careful aim she tossed her quite-black bra underhanded across the room…and watched as it landed square on Kim's head, falling in front of her face. A wild grin broke out on Shego's face and she closed the door quickly, counting down the seconds until…

"SHEGO!" Kim yelped.

"Right on schedule," the green-skinned woman said to herself as she tried hard not to laugh out loud. Kim pounded on the door, then the sound stopped, and Shego figured she just huffed and went back to the couch. She chuckled for a few seconds before getting into the shower itself. By now, the water was _perfect_.

* * *

Ninety-seven minutes later a thoroughly-waterlogged Shego exited the bathroom, clad in only a towel. "Hey, Kimmie," she said as she walked behind her big leather couch, "it's all yours, but you may want to wait a while for the hot water to return."

"Mmkay." Her voice was distant, like she was only paying ten percent attention.

Shego stopped for a second. "I'm going to make something to eat. You want anything?"

"Mmkay."

She smirked. "I'm going to drop this towel and dance around the place in the buff."

"Mmkay."

"Then I'm going to get in your face and you're going to love every second of it."

"Mm—wait. What?" She turned from her spot on the couch to face Shego, who had a hand on the edge of her towel and looked poised to, indeed, fling it off at a moment's notice. "Shego!" Kim squeaked again. "Do you _have _to tease me like that every chance you get?"

"Your reactions are mastercard-worthy," Shego replied, grinning slyly. At Kim's confused look she added, "Priceless. It's just so much fun! Besides, you can't deny you would enjoy it, can you?"

Kim flushed even redder this time before burying her face in the couch. She said something to Shego, but the cushions muffled it so completely that it was unintelligible.

Shego laughed delightedly, reaching over the couch to ruffle Kim's hair. "I was serious about making some chow, though. You want anything?"

"Please and thank you," Kim said, lifting her head from the couch far enough to allow Shego to understand her.

Shego nodded before leaving to get dressed; twenty minutes later lunch was served, and each woman found her manners forgotten as they ate for the first time in nearly two and a half days.

When the culinary carnage ended each of them sat back, extremely satisfied. Comfortable silence reigned for a few minutes before either spoke; Kim did so first.

"Shego, I just wanted to say thanks, for real, for getting me out of that place before it blew," she said honestly, still leaned back in her chair; it looked like she was speaking to the ceiling. "And for all the stuff you did for me after that. I'm…I'm really glad you're not working with Drakken any more, as selfish as that sounds. I know you're used to doing what you want with your life, and you know what's funny? I wish I could be like that."

"What are you talking about, Princess?" Shego asked. "Isn't that how you got started with your saving the world thing?"

"Well, I guess you're right," Kim admitted. "But…I don't know. It's like I can't get out of it if I wanted to, you know? If I wanted to do something else. Plus there was cheerleading and being picked as valedictorian and now there's college and all the stuff that comes with that and…it's just a lot of stuff that I feel like I have to do, instead of what I want to do."

"Well, what do you _want _to do?" Shego asked, confused. "Don't tell me you want to follow in my footsteps. I don't know if my mind could take it."

"I don't know if _I _could take it," Kim replied. "What do I want to do? I know I want to go to college and all that. And as much as I may complain, I like my missions. The problem is, I have so much to do now that I wish the days had like thirty hours to get everything in."

"There's your problem, Kimmie. Just because you can do anything doesn't mean you should. Pick a thing or three at a time. Otherwise you'll drive yourself nuts, burn yourself out, and all that."

"Yeah…I guess it'll be better when I'm out of college and everything." Kim sighed. "Anyway, back to my main point…thanks for saving me, and I mean it."

Shego smiled gently. "I told you already, Kimmie: I like you. I think I have for a long time, which is why I couldn't ever kill you, even though I always blustered about it." She giggled lightly. "I think that's also why I saved you a couple of times before, like when Dr. D was visited by that alien chick the first time. I couldn't stand to see her trying to take you out—that was supposed to be my job, after all—so I had to wipe the floor with her. She wouldn't even properly mock the guy!" She blew out a long breath, looking over at Kim finally. "That last day, when we got you and the doc off that station—we'd been together before, but I think that was the first time we fought side-by-side for the same goal. And you know what? It was fun. Had all the adrenaline I could ever want—fighting for life would do that to anyone, I'm sure—but I'm also not too keen on having to gamble with my very existence to get to that level. That's why I don't think I could do the hero thing. I'm too…I don't know, used to the normal stuff? And the exciting stuff is too dangerous to really get into more than once or twice."

Kim nodded slowly. "I know what you mean, I think. Really, what I do, I only enjoy when it's a challenge, and Drakken's schemes were the best challenges because you were there. So I guess I liked you too, for a long time, but in a weird way…is it possible to really like someone normally when you look forward to seeing them only because it means you get to fight? Then there were those couple of days when you'd been zapped by Electronique…I know I keep bringing that up, but I'm also convinced that that's what made me drop thinking of you as a rival. So now the only excitement would be from something even more challenging than ever to make up for you being out of the business." She graced Shego with a helpless look. "Does that mean I'm going to be bored to tears with missions?"

"You won't know until you find out, Kimmie," Shego answered. "Right now, it sounds like it, but you never know; maybe something else can take my place. Like Dementor's lairs or something, those were usually pretty complex, from what I can remember."

"Yeah…I guess. Besides, people's tastes change with time, so maybe I can find something else."

Neither really had anything else to add to the conversation, so they lapsed into that same comfortable silence again. After about half an hour Kim remembered Shego's earlier offer and went off to the shower; she took much less time than Shego did, which hardly surprised the green-skinned woman. They sat together for the rest of the evening, having little actual conversation, instead zoning out on whatever they could find on Shego's TV. At some point close to midnight Kim nodded off, and she slipped sideways from her sitting position on the couch to land with her head on Shego's lap. Almost without thinking Shego placed a hand on Kim's head, and when she really noticed what she was doing she stared for more than a few seconds. Kim didn't stir; in fact, she looked quite content in her current position, and Shego smiled softly, her face having an expression of warmth, of tenderness, that possibly nobody had ever seen it wear—at least, not for a very long time. She stroked Kim's hair lightly until she felt herself going under, succumbing to her own need for sleep, at which point she shut off the television and gathered Kim into her arms.

Kim shifted a little bit as Shego carried her, bridal-style, over the threshold to the bedroom. She deposited the smaller girl on the bed itself while she doffed her clothing and replaced it with an overlarge t-shirt. She climbed in next to Kim and, acting in accord with her usual impulsiveness, placed a chaste kiss on Kim's forehead. "Goodnight, Kim," she whispered, allowing herself a small grin at the use of the adventurer's real name. Then she laid back herself, her memories of the last few days together with her former arch-rival filling her mind with pleasant dreams for a change.

* * *

A/N: Sigh. I wish I could get these out as quickly as the first few chapters; unfortunately, I hit big patches of writer's block and can stamp out maybe a few paragraphs in an hour instead of a few pages. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this installment.

King in Yellow: I know the cliche in question, and tried to avoid it accordingly; I like some cliches but too many of them and the story reads like, well, all the rest, which is why they're cliches, I suppose :)


	6. Chapter 6: Go City Gangup

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 6

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Any and all of the actual KP universe characters aren't mine. Isabel and Kane belong to StarvingLunatic, used with permission.

Pseudo-author-note: I think with this chapter we start to move from T-rating to M-rating. Mostly language for now, with sex and the like to follow eventually. Bloody violence is a very, very, _very _small possibility for the future.

* * *

It was two weeks after Shego and Kim Possible had shared their little mountain adventure. Back then, after spending the night at Shego's hideout, the former villainess had actually been the one to urge Kim to wakefulness, and then, to urge her home. Shego had flown her to the outskirts of Middleton, at which point Kim had jumped ship and parachuted to a safe landing while Shego sped away; as she still had several warrants out for her arrest, she didn't want to stay in one public space for too long—at least, not without Kim's presence.

Kim had made it safely home by mid-afternoon to a pair of worried parents, but when she explained about what happened on her last mission—leaving out the spending-time-with-Shego parts—their worry lessened, even if only slightly. Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Possible both wondered why she looked relatively okay for the problems that she'd had, but chalked that up to Kim being her normal, resourceful self while out on a mission.

Kim's next order of business, after reassuring her parents of her well-being, was to get in touch with Ron and make sure her best friend in the universe was okay, too. She had a feeling he was fine—her parents hadn't said anything about him, after all—but it was better to be safe than sorry, so she grabbed her phone before falling onto her own bed, breathing deeply in relief, and grabbing her figurative security blanket—that is, her faithful little Pandaroo. Clutching the stuffed animutant tightly she dialed Ron's number.

His father picked up after only a couple of rings. "Stoppable residence," he answered.

Kim felt even better; he didn't sound worked up or anything. Then again, it seemed to take a lot to work up Ron's dad. "Hi, Mr. Stoppable," Kim said. "It's Kim Possible. Would Ron happen to be in?"

"Sure thing, Kim. Give me a moment to put him on," he said, which put Kim at about ninety-five percent on the relief scale. When Ron actually picked up and answered, she felt tension she hadn't even realized she'd held until that morning fade away.

"Hey KP, you okay?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, Ron, I made it home okay. I'm glad you did, too," Kim practically sighed.

"Yeah, I ended up being tossed into a snow bank when the place blew up, but Rufus and I made it down okay. I got a hold of Wade right after and he told me there was a ride waiting for us. Sorry I didn't wait for you, by the way," he said, sounding belatedly apologetic.

"Oh, Ron, it was no big," she said, waving a hand dismissively despite being on a normal phone. "I…got another ride anyway."

"Oh. Well, cool. Good to know you got home safe, at least."

"Yeah. I was really worried about you, Ron; I wanted to make sure my best friend got away okay."

"Aw, KP, I'm touched. Hey," he continued, his voice indicating a change of topic, "what was up with you and Shego back then?"

"What was up?" Kim echoed dumbly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, did she like gas you or something? You were practically folded in half, you were laughing so hard. And she was standing there looking like…well, you know, she got you with something."

"I was laughing?" Kim repeated again. "Oh, right. Um. She kinda _did _get me with something."

"Do you need Wade to check you out?" Ron asked, concerned again.

"No, I'm fine, really. It's been days since then and nothing's happened. There's nothing that's that delayed after having an initial symptom like that; either it would be all at once or nothing would happen at all for a few days." She didn't like sounding like such a know-it-all to Ron, but it was either that or, her guilty conscience knew, tell him how she'd actually been thoroughly entertained by Shego instead of trying to beat her down while Ron was doing the hard work.

"Alright, Kim," Ron replied. "Hey, listen, I gotta run; the parents are leaving and I have to watch Hana for them. When they get back, though, we can hit up Bueno Nacho or somethin', right?"

"Sure," she answered. They said their goodbyes and hung up, and Kim sighed while she flopped over onto her stomach, holding Pandaroo in front of her. She still felt a bit guilty over not telling Ron what had really happened, but she hadn't really _lied_, per se.

Her rationalizations continued until she was summoned for dinner, at which point they were promptly shoved aside.

Over the remainder of the next two weeks Kim dealt with all the college crap she had been getting into since graduating. She'd finally made her decision to go to Go University, and was getting her class listings and such in order before the first day rolled around.

She'd picked Go U for two reasons: one, it was away from home, which meant she would attain the bittersweet independence she'd been semi-craving since starting at Middleton High School (why else go on missions that could end up halfway around the world and that could last until late at night?); and two, while University of Middleton and University of Upperton both offered several tantalizing degree programs, for the Girl Who Could Do Anything, she was _amazingly _indecisive when it came to focusing on a major. After all, if she could do anything, why choose one? Go U offered a major in General Studies, and, as lame as it sounded, it also allowed her to satisfy both of her parents by giving her a taste of both medicine and physical science. Besides, she figured, she could always enroll in a master's program later and focus on something else then—that is, if she got over her inability to decide.

She'd never admit it to anyone—even herself—but the knowledge that Go City was Shego's hometown was another deciding factor, albeit small. After their last meeting Kim was subconsciously determined to get the other woman to "mend" her ways.

Also subconsciously, she was a bit anxious for the bond between them to strengthen...a lot.

* * *

Sunlight filtered through a small slit between curtains, falling, of course, just where it was least welcome: across the currently-closed eyes of a green-eyed female. The intruding brightness caused her to shift slightly in her sleep, draping an arm across her eyes to keep it out, but the movement proved too drastic to keep her asleep for long. An irritated grunt signaled her return to wakefulness. 

"Damn sun," Shego grumbled as she roused herself. Other sounds of activity could be heard now that she was actually awake, which meant she was, as usual, the last to awaken. She shuffled over to the curtains and yanked them open, basking for a moment in the sunshine, in spite of her seconds-earlier cursing of the celestial body. She then turned back to the interior of her room, making her way to the small dresser tucked into a corner between her bed and the wall. The room was of two colors, Shego's trademark green and black, with the walls painted black to about waist high with an almost parroty green above. The carpet was black, as were the sheets on the bed, which had a green mattress. In fact, the only real concession to any other color was the unpainted wooden doors which occupied parts of two walls. Those doors led to the rest of the house and to a closet that was large enough to drop the name "closet" and take on the term "guest bedroom." That door was slightly open, allowing an observer to glimpse inside and see the array of training equipment that occupied the room's space.

A gentle knock on the other door got Shego's attention just as it cracked slightly open. A head popped into the room, looking shockingly like Shego's except for the skin and eye coloration. "Morning, firefly," it said.

"Morning, Mommy," Shego replied, stifling a yawn with her hand for added effect. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing important," Isabel Go replied. "Kane is playing host once again for a bunch of his clients. Bunch of stuff-shirted ass-blowers, if you ask me, but it's his business."

"More bankers?" Shego groaned.

Isabel smiled sweetly. "Your father is good at what he does…which is unfortunate. I've lost count of the number of times I've wished for him to get into something different, if only because that would mean I wouldn't have to deal with the scum of the earth."

"I thought that was lawyers," Shego responded, a bit behind as she was still waking up.

"They're all the same," Isabel said dismissively, waving a hand. "But enough of that, firefly. It really _is _time for you to be active."

"Mommy, let me tell you two things. One, stop calling me that. You know that's about the most annoying thing _ever_." This was true enough; Shego'd absolutely hated that nickname ever since The Accident with The Meteor. She'd not minded it before, though it hadn't made much sense then. After The Accident, though, when Shego's skin had gained its otherworldly pallor and her body had acquired its plasma powers, her mother had taken particular delight in referring to her almost solely by that nickname. That was one reason she'd chosen a completely different name upon leaving the house at the ripe old age of seventeen. Her real name was, if possible, even more annoying to her; she privately thanked whatever higher power was responsible that her mother hadn't spread _that _vile abomination around the general public.

"And two, that you're this chipper this early in the morning is plain wrong. That Daddy is seeing his clients this early in the morning is plain wrong. Don't you people ever sleep?"

Isabel tsked her daughter. "Now, now. So you know, it's well past nine in the morning. Even you ought to be up by now." She smiled smugly at Shego, almost exactly mirroring the expression the younger woman often used. "Do you want me to help you wake up?"

"No, I want you to get the hell out of my room so I can change, dammit," Shego growled, glaring at her mother.

Isabel was a very perceptive woman; it helped explain how she had mastered several martial arts styles, going from there to theatrical choreographer to a sort of twisted personal trainer in her professional life. There were times when her perceptive abilities gave her quite the edge; she could read people as easily as others could read, say, a newspaper.

This was one of those times. She decided to test by teasing. "I _am _your mother, and you've got nothing I haven't seen before," she protested. "You can change with me in here."

"Dammit, Mommy!" Shego protested loudly, her cheeks coloring deeply; they turned a darker shade of green than normal, a reaction Isabel had always found oddly amusing since Shego's blood was no less red than anyone else's. However, in this case, the reaction basically confirmed her suspicion. She kept it buried inside, though, maintaining her motherly humor.

"Aw, I made you uncomfortable?" she teased again.

"Just get lost," Shego grumbled, stalking back over to her dresser in the corner and pointedly ignoring Isabel's light chuckling.

For her part, Isabel simply continued to laugh while she left the room. She had been right, though; something was bothering Shego, and had been since she'd randomly come home a couple of weeks ago. The teasing about her personal space had confirmed the issue was a person of some sort; all that was left was really to find out who it was, and then Isabel could go about righting the problem.

She _was _Shego's mother, after all, and Shego was her darling only daughter, even if she had made some…unsavory lifestyle choices since leaving home.

* * *

Shego, for her part, was very unhappily getting dressed before joining the rest of the living world. Her mother had hit closer to home—well, Shego was sure it was on purpose; in some ways Isabel was a master manipulator, and Shego could tell when she'd been baited into a certain reaction. That she'd succeeded irritated Shego to no end, and she put it on the ever-growing list of annoyances against her mother she'd accumulated over the years. 

The problem was that Isabel had guessed correctly. Normally Shego wouldn't be so fazed by mention of raunchy ideas, except she'd been awakened from a particularly erotic dream involving a certain red-headed heroine. And it wasn't the first time, either; she'd had several since deciding to return to her parents' home.

Thinking back on that decision, Shego wasn't sure what possessed her to think of it. She'd dropped Kim off, quite literally, and flown back to her own mini-lair. She'd managed to spend the night before being driven out of her mind from sheer boredom—without Drakken to tease or Kim to…be near, Shego literally had nothing to do. She couldn't even default to her old profession of master thief, since every target even remotely close to her location was going to be pathetically easy to lift given her current abilities—and the illicit thrill that would be absent from those attempts was what had lured her to her current life in the first place.

Well, mostly. Her brothers were somewhat to blame for that, as well.

Shego abruptly changed paths and took her change of clothes into the bathroom, feeling like she was up for a shower instead. Maybe, she thought as she turned the water on, she was done with that thrill? Is that why she'd blown up Drakken's machine for Kim? Why she'd decided to basically ditch her criminal life? Why she'd even gone home to deal with the one person on the planet Shego, in the depths of her soul, knew she couldn't defeat, no matter what, even if she would never admit it, even to herself?

She continued to ponder as the water ran, its temperature increasing to her favorite point, at which point she stripped off her sleeping clothes and stepped in. She stopped for a moment as she caught sight of the top of her thigh and knee. _No way would Kimmie go for the green_, she thought with a dry mental chuckle, _even _if _she swings that way. Which I doubt._ With a final sigh she showered quickly, dressed, and joined her mother.

* * *

When Shego arrived in the kitchen, Isabel watched her beloved only daughter yawn mightily right as she plopped into a chair. She'd chosen her trademark colors for clothing, opting for a loose green T-shirt and matching sweatpants. "Not planning on going anywhere today, either?" she asked, and received a shake of the head in response. Isabel sighed. "You know you're going to have to pull your weight somehow. Much as I love seeing you again—and you know I do, firefly—you have to get back to your own life." 

"No shit, Mommy," Shego replied, straight-faced. "Unfortunately, 'my life' consisted of stealing stuff for the blue boy and fighting Kimmie. I don't want to do those anymore—at least the first part."

Isabel quirked an eyebrow. "You still want to beat up on your little nemesis? Are you sure you didn't crack your skull on something recently?"

Shego glared at her mother. "Just because I did crack my skull on something doesn't mean I couldn't have changed my mind beforehand."

"Wait a second, firefly—"

"Would you STOP calling me that?"

"I'll call you whatever I damn well please. You're my fucking daughter, and I'm your fucking mother, and one day when you have kids of your own you'll know exactly where I'm coming from." Shego grimaced at the mention of children but Isabel pressed on. "Now. You _will _tell me what you meant by yes, you cracked your skull, or I will beat it out of you."

Shego continued to glare, but her mother's threat had cowed her somewhat. Isabel, after all, was older, and while that may have meant to Shego that she was weaker (which wasn't necessarily a valid assumption), it also meant Isabel had accumulated a far vaster amount of experience than Shego herself. While she raged against the fact, she knew that Isabel could likely take her four fights out of five. _Maybe three_, she corrected herself. After all, Shego _did _have her plasma.

She did, however, relent. "Fine," she huffed. "You want to know why I gave it up? It bothered me. Plain and simple." At her mother's incredulous expression, she grinned tightly. "Sounds strange, given my career for the past ten or twelve years, huh? I guess funny things can happen to funny people, like a green plasma freak growing a conscience."

Isabel's hand moved far faster than even Shego could see, striking her across the face. Perhaps the only person who could have caught it was Kane, her father, because of his annoying habit of allowing Isabel one hit for free and catching the rest. It amazed both women to this day how he could pull it off, and Shego just wrote it off to her family being weird to begin with—really, if the comet hadn't done it, natural genetics would have made her develop _something _screwy.

Shego sat in shock for a few seconds before the signal of pain from her cheek began to register, at which point she put her own hand to it. She growled, glaring even harder at her mother, if that was even possible. She even felt the telltale tingle of her other hand itching to light up, but she refrained for now. If she did, she knew from experience, Isabel would pull no punches.

"What the _fuck _was that for?!" she practically exploded.

Isabel's look rivaled Shego's. "Don't you _ever _refer to yourself that way in my presence," she commanded, her matriarchal tone of voice brooking absolutely no disobedience. It actually put the fear of Isabel into Shego, which was no mean feat. "I don't care what color you are, or what you think of yourself. You are no freak. Do you understand me?"

A "Yes, ma'am," escaped Shego before she could control it, and instantly Isabel was normal again.

"Anyway, continue," she prodded.

Shego sighed. "Fine. Kimmie and I had a chat a few months ago, then we met again recently, that time as usual, me with Dr. D and her with her buffoon friend. She was real upset that Dr. D's got the weakest spine this side of cooked spaghetti and gave in to peer pressure to try and take over the world again. Then he tried it again, Kimmie came to stop him, and I decided hey, enough was enough. I blew up Dr. D's machine but it brought down the lair. I escaped with Kimmie but the blast put me into a tree practically face-first." She held her hands up. "Satisfied?"

"What happened after that?" Isabel asked. Shego was yet again convinced that her mother was capable of the wildest mood swings of anyone on the planet—in the space of ten seconds she'd gone from ready-to-snap-bones to practically gushing with concern.

"We were both injured but since I heal faster I got us home the next day. The day after is when I decided to come here."

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this 'Kimmie' you refer to is Miss Possible?"

"What gave it away?" Shego asked dryly. "She's the only one who stops Dr. D."

"But not you?"

"Of course not," Shego confirmed, some of her normal cockiness returning. "Maybe fight to a draw, but never beat. No one can." Left unspoken was what both women knew about _that _fact.

"I see…So what made you decide that last time that enough was enough?"

"I dunno," Shego said, shrugging uncomfortably. "I cracked some corny line and Kimmie was practically rolling on the floor because of it, and something just went twitch."

"I see," repeated Isabel, and she considered her daughter for a moment. The implications of Shego's statement were such that Isabel's best guess was pretty much confirmed, and while she was saddened somewhat—she'd likely never see grandchildren from her only darling daughter—she was also all for that same daughter being as happy as, well, Possible.

For her part, Shego watched her mother watch her in turn, and was somewhat unnerved by the even stare. Isabel's eyes were also green, though less of a vivid tone than Shego's, and she was using that jade stare effectively. Shego felt like her mother was trying to scrape off the back of Shego's skull from the inside, though she could tell that her mother was also slightly distracted; her eyes were just a _little _unfocused, enough for Shego to possibly do something inane like snap her fingers in Isabel's face.

She knew she'd pay if she did, though, so she held off.

A few seconds later Isabel shrugged. "Well, regardless, now we've got to find you something to do, right?"

"I can handle it myself, Mommy," Shego warned.

"Now, Rheann, you're back under my roof, which means you're getting my help. You'd have your father's, too, I'm sure, except he's woefully busy."

"Am I, now? Well, someone be sure to send in some donuts to keep me awake," a baritone voice called from another doorway. Isabel and Shego both turned at the sound to find a short, stocky, and extraordinarily well-built man (if the cut of his suit was any indication) standing there, his head covered in short auburn hair. He was smiling slightly, and as he walked over his movements seemed slow, almost overly deliberate, as if he were wading through the air instead of just plain walking.

"Kane," Isabel said; at the same time, Shego said "Daddy," and they finished together with, "what are you doing here?"

He stopped and blinked at them. "Stereo," he muttered. Then, in a normal voice, he said, "I live here, right? Or has something changed in the last," he checked his watch, "three hours?"

"Mommy said you had a meeting this morning," Shego said, looking at him sideways while Isabel leveled her usual acidic glare at him.

"I did. Those twitchy types were unusually put off by me being me, I guess," he said, spreading his arms to the sides in a helpless gesture. "They agreed to my terms and left, oh, ten minutes ago."

"And it took you that long to make it a few rooms away?" Shego asked. She knew her father, and not even his slow-motion reality was _that _bad.

"Of course not," he said. "I did have to tidy up a bit first. They would have left coffee stains on the table otherwise."

"How rude," Isabel huffed in righteous indignation.

"Well, it _was _partly my fault, which is why I cleaned it up. They were…more than mildly aggravating." Kane Go shrugged again, his well-muscled frame stressing his suit again. As the owner and CEO of his own business, Kane had to dress to present, especially when his clients arrived. Specifically, he dealt in security concerns for large corporations, banks, brokers, and other big-money concerns. Between the _very _lucrative business he was in—his security solutions were the best, after all—and his familial inheritance, Kane was worth a lot of cash. Isabel was no slouch, either, having garnered herself top acclaims in her respective fields. Before she got out of the business, she was one of the most sought-after fight choreographers in Hollywood. At the moment, as a trainer, she was quite possibly more feared than respected…but damn if she didn't get results, and fast. Strangely enough, that meant Shego herself was entirely free to do what she chose with her life, as her family was essentially loaded.

Hence Shego chose the adrenaline rush of thievery.

"'Mildly aggravating?' What did they do, whine at you or something?" Isabel asked.

"More or less. They thought the System X wouldn't be good enough and were whining about something more. My telling them that X has never been broken didn't seem to reassure."

Shego hid a smirk. She'd passed her father's favored system once, but reset it on the way out; the guard who'd been monitoring it had fallen victim to a bit of mild poison in his coffee that put him to sleep for several hours, allowing her to shut it all off, wade in and out, and turn it back on as she left. Still, she had to admit, without being able to do that even _she _would have been hard-pressed to worm her way in.

"No one ever said that educated people were intelligent," Isabel consoled him. "There's a saying I saw once—something about there's nothing as stupid as an educated man once you're off the subject of his education, I think," she continued, smiling.

"You've got that right," Kane grumbled. "So how are my two favorite ladies today?" he asked, changing conversational gears.

"Doing fine," Shego said. "Actually, that gives me an idea…"

Kane blinked. "I knew I was inspirational, but this…?"

Isabel laid a hand on Kane's arm. "Don't get too full of yourself," she warned idly. "We were just talking about Rheann's reasons for coming home in the first place."

"Mommy," Shego groaned, "that name is, if possible, even _more _irritating than that shitty nickname. Just use my normal name."

"Rheann _is _your normal name," Isabel returned, "but if you refer to how everyone knows you, I suppose we can do that, too."

"Well, your mother was always better at listening to you than I was, Cassie dear," Kane said teasingly.

"Keep talking like that and you'll only wish you had legs left, Daddy _dear_," Shego retorted while Isabel chuckled.

"As always, you only get one free shot," Kane shot back with a grin.

"Don't tempt me," Shego warned, raising a green hand.

"As amusing as all this is, we were having a real discussion, remember," Isabel said, stepping between them.

"Right," agreed Kane. "Something about her coming home."

"Mostly why she did," Isabel reminded him. "She told me she was at least going to leave that blue blunder behind."

"Exactly. I can't stand working for Dr. D anymore." Shego frowned. "The guy's like willfully blind when it comes to flaws in his plans."

"Without meaning to sound pestering—"

"Too late for that, Mommy."

"—What I was_ going _to say was, your father and I could see that from the beginning and wondered why."

Shego shrugged. "He paid well. Plus after a short time I got to fight Kimmie."

"My, this Miss Possible certainly seems to be a major factor in your life decisions. Maybe you should be staying with her, not with us," Isabel teased, and was rewarded with Shego coloring slightly.

Kane spoke up again. "How is she a major factor?"

Shego answered before Isabel could embarrass her any further. "Kimmie and I had to spend a couple of days being civil in survival mode after Dr. D's latest world-domination device flubbed. She's not so bad anymore." She tried to pass Kim off dismissively, hoping Isabel wouldn't push the issue any further.

Her hope was in vain. "Miss Possible and our darling Rheann are fast becoming the best of friends," Isabel said, practically glowing. "It's about time you had an actual friend, firefly."

Shego growled in near-complete embarrassment. "Cut it out with the names." It was shaping up to be not-so-great a morning; she needed to get out and _do _something before she snapped and did something nasty to her parents. "Look, just give me some time by myself today. I'm going to be out and about. You two have fun plotting about me behind my back."

"I'm sure we will, dear," Isabel replied with a smirk. "Just remember, there are two of us plotting for every one of you."

Shego gave her mother a thinly veiled sneer before ditching the house. They made her feel ten years younger, and while most would love for that to happen, it reminded her too much of when she really _was _ten years younger, and was too young to back up her brash attitude and lone-wolf-ness.

She struck out on an aimless walk. This was, after all, her home neighborhood; people that knew her, knew her, and remembered her for her brief stint on Team Go. Some even felt some twisted sort of civic pride that the little Rheann that they knew was the only one in the universe able to stand up to Kim Possible, when the broadcasts of some of their fights made it into the evening news. Shego knew how they expressed condemnation on the surface while inside they rooted her on; it was part of the reason she'd come home in the first place. No one here was going to turn her in any time soon.

So she felt mostly safe walking around in broad daylight while flashing her pale greenness for all to see. What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

_Beep beep be-beep!_

Kim flinched as the Kimminucator's happy-minor-third tone sliced her recently-achieved state of nearly-Zen spacing-out to ribbons. She'd been putting last-minute touches on her supplies for moving into a college dorm and had finally allowed herself to simply vegetate in front of a blank wall for a few minutes to allow her brain to catch up; she was plain old exhausted.

Apparently the world didn't care, though, as she irritably grabbed her Kimmunicator and switched it on. "What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked, a bit more tartly than she'd intended.

Either Wade didn't notice or he'd seen her expression and decided to remain mum. "Got a hit on the site," he replied to her inquisition. "Somebody's making trouble in your new home town. I can't tell you who; it's just…weird."

"Trouble in Go City?" Kim echoed. "Like, what kind of trouble?"

"Like Godzilla-in-Tokyo trouble. Giant things busting down buildings if they feel like it."

"Wade…what kind of giant things?"

He winced. "Um…giant mutant killer cyborg rats?"

The look she gave him was classic Shego—one eyebrow raised, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded in a disbelieving stare—which made it doubly weird coming from Kim's face. "Uh _huh_. And you expect me to believe that?"

"I can show you video if you want." He sounded offended now, but Kim didn't care enough yet. Her brain was still revving up.

"Forget it; just point me to where I have to go. And what about Ron?" She dropped the look and tossed the device on her bed, opening her closet and reaching to the semi-hidden cubby behind it for her Battle Suit. She disrobed, put on the battle suit, and for looks, wore her mission gear on top of it all.

"Coordinates are being sent to your Kimmunicator as we speak. Also, I arranged for a ride. I know you've got your own, but time is of the essence. Ron is…otherwise engaged. Another mission came up earlier, but it was much more simple, and I figured he could use the test and you the rest." Wade's voice was back to its geeky professionalism. Kim could tell he was getting excited; that's what his voice did when he was.

"Alright Wade. Where do I meet it?"

"Should be there…about now."

Right on cue a high, keening whine inserted itself into their conversation; it actually was rattling Kim's windows, too, but she paid that no mind. Between herself, Wade, and her parents, they'd long since replaced every window in the house with some much more sturdy impact glass, as well as upgrading the seals and window tracks themselves. She slid one of those improved windows open and grinned as she saw what was up. "Wade, seriously, you _rock_," she almost giggled.

With a hiss of hydraulics a clear canopy slid open, and a helmeted figure waved to her. Kim wasted no time zipping along the roof of her house and leaping, landing on the wing of the VTOL jet that had made her backyard its temporary landing pad. It looked mostly like a normal fighter jet—Kim wasn't exactly up with military jet lore—with the exception that it featured several exhaust ports for its jet turbines. Right now each of those ports was pointed down, but they looked like…irises, Kim decided. Like the metal could swivel easily. Another jump took her from wing to the side of the cockpit, which she barely latched onto with fingers outstretched. She pulled herself in, slipped into the G-suit (her Battle Suit had similar properties, but one couldn't be too careful), engaged the helmet, and tapped the pilot on the shoulder to signal she was ready. He nodded once, tipping the lever to close the canopy, and the jet rose steadily into the air, its smooth ride betraying none of the shaky starts so commonly seen on older jets like the Harrier.

As soon as they were high enough he vectored the thrust from down to forward, and the jet took off like the combat ship it was designed to be.

Twenty-seven aerially acrobatic minutes later Kim tapped the pilot again. He nodded, bracing himself, and hit the rudder, at the same time using the advanced jet's thrust-vectoring mechanics to swing the fighter around in a hundred-eighty degree spin. Once they finished that he slapped the jets back to full forward power, afterburners included, and the plane's forward (well, backward now) momentum dropped like a rock—and so did the jet. He vectored the thrust down and their descent slowed, and when they were a scant fifteen feet up Kim tapped him a third time. He hit the canopy again, and she climbed out. Over the radio she shouted, "That was the most awesome ride ever!" and gave him the biggest thumbs up she could muster.

The pilot responded by removing his oxygen mask and grinning, returning the gesture. He put the mask back to speak into the radio pickup. "Good luck, Miss Possible," he said. "Keep this frequency if you need backup."

Kim blinked. Since when had she done anything for the US Air Force? Or the entire military, for that matter. She couldn't help but notice, though, the big white star plastered in its blue field on the side of the jet as it rose again. She shrugged and took off at a run.

Checking her Kimmunicator as she ran, she watched as Wade updated the sitch while tracking her position via GPS. She was getting closer and closer, apparently, to the sources of destruction.

It took her almost tripping over a piece of twisted metal skidding along the ground to actually look up and see what was going on, and a combination of shock, fascination, and something akin to despair filled her, for sure enough, three, count 'em three, six-story-tall, clinical-white-furred, pink-tailed, cybernetically-augmented, psychotically-visaged mutant rats were rampaging through parts of downtown Go City. While it looked like they had taken a few bites out of each other—two of them sported slowly bleeding wounds likely inflicted by the others' eight-foot-long incisors—the majority of the damage was of the property variety and/or wanton massacre.

Kim's moment of shock and awe was quickly shattered as yet another piece of building came tumbling her way, and she dove aside as the massive chunk of steel-reinforced concrete smashed into the ground, pulverizing the pavement where she'd been standing. _This isn't the __time to be gathering wool,_ she told herself sternly, and assumed her "mission face" before running off to do what she could.

She didn't get very far, though; dodging another debris rain she saw the last sight she'd expected to see: a bright green flash followed by a pillar of glowing green energy that Kim recognized all too well. Her heart leapt into her throat and she skidded to a halt as she thought of Shego out there, though she had no idea why or what she was doing. Without really thinking about it any more she took off again, faster than ever, to see if she could get there in time to prevent…something.

* * *

A/N: Phew. 

Total editing time, says MS Word: 773 minutes. That's not counting another 360 or so that I just sat here, having this open, staring at the screen with nothing coming to mind to say.

No, I'm not trying to impress; far from it, it's kinda sad that it took me this long, but I was simply idea-less for days. Rather, I was _original idea_-less for days. Thought of lots of carbon-copy things, but bleah. The good news is, I have ammo for another good long while, so updates shouldn't take over two weeks now. Sorry.

Anyway, I hope this chapter is more palatable to you all than it is to me.

Oh, and Shego's name (Rheann) was something I threw up at the spur of the moment. Didn't want to use a commonly-used name, and the uncommon ones I've seen were unique enough that it would be an obvious gank :) I'm sure there's other ways to say/spell it, but in my mind the pronunciation is similar to saying ray-anne. And Kane's mention of Security System X isn't as campy as it sounds--it's really the Roman numeral 10, he just calls it X for now. His next-gen will be referred to as 'eleven' when it gets designed, of course. He just wanted to sound x-otic.

As always, comments and criticism (if it's constructive) are appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7: Home is Where the Hearts Are

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 7

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: As always, nobody in here is my own creation. Kim, Shego, and everyone else related to the KP-verse all belong to Disney; Isabel and Kane belong to StarvingLunatic; and all your base are belong to someone else, since I can't afford them.

* * *

Kim had seen the green blast, but she couldn't quite believe it.

Until she rounded a corner just in time to watch a familiar figure dive out of the way of a titanic rat foot.

Her nerves—and, part of her noted distantly, her heart—twisted horribly as she watched the near-miss, but she didn't have the time to indulge in the luxury of analyzing her feelings; Shego was her friend, and Kim would be damned if she wasn't going to do something to avoid having her friend flattened.

She pulled out her grappling hair dryer as she raced across to where Shego was picking herself up off the ground. Another small part of Kim's mind noted the lack of her distinctive black-and-green catsuit, but she was more concerned about safety at the moment. She leapt, bouncing off a series of fallen slabs as she zipped across the newly-open square towards the one person she cared about more than herself right now.

She finally skidded to a stop next to Shego, who whipped around at the noise, hands flaring. Absolute shock registered on her face. "Princess?!" she exclaimed. "What the _hell _are you doing here?"

"Run now talk later," Kim hurried as she grabbed Shego around the waist as tightly as she could. She fired off her grappling hook, having to wait in place for the next precious few seconds before it reached its fullest extension and wrapped itself around a very gothic-looking gargoyle on a decently-distant building. Feeling the line tension Kim engaged the return motor and they zipped away…just _barely_ in time as another titanic rat foot slammed down right behind them. The displaced air rushed around them but didn't dislodge either female from the line, and they were pulled along to the relative safety of another building. Kim waited for the line to fully retract before facing Shego again. "I got called in," she finally explained, and Shego blinked, still a bit thrown from the near-death experience and the sudden rescue.

"Who?" she managed finally.

"I don't know; Wade didn't say, but apparently you or I have friends in some _very _high places." Kim narrowed her eyes. "I got a ride from a prototype Air Force jet."

"And why would I have anything to do with that?"

"Why were you playing hero down there?" Kim returned.

"I was not!" Shego protested hotly. Crossing her arms over her chest, she went on, "Look, Kimmie, even if I were trying to save the day, you of all people ought to know I don't 'play' at it. I've done it before, I can do it again. But!" She held up a finger before Kim could do or say anything else. "For your information, Miss Priss, I was trying to save my own life, and the best way to do that is to blow these guys the fuck up."

"And you just happened to end up smack in the middle of all this?" Kim sounded like she didn't quite believe it.

"You got it," Shego replied. "I _live _here, Kimmie. Like, on a permanent basis. This is my _home city_." Kim sensed the unspoken "Doy" hanging in the air.

She blinked as something else dawned on her. "So did you see where these came from?" she asked, sort of changing the subject.

"Not really," Shego admitted, calming slightly. "They just…were there."

"You mean someone else actually got the drop on you?" Kim asked, both her tone and expression entirely incredulous.

"No," Shego replied irritably. "I mean what I said: they just appeared all of a sudden."

A tremor shook their perch, and they ceased their short argument to look back at the rampaging giant mutant killer cyborg rats. Kim's targets were milling about aimlessly, bumping into some skyscrapers and casually crushing the few remaining intact automobiles into aluminum cans beneath their massive feet. One of the three had actually tripped, if its current posture was any indication, and its massive weight shifting had caused the shaking.

Kim turned back to Shego, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, Shego," she said quietly, which surprised the former villainess. "I shouldn't have accused you of playing or anything…I was just surprised to see you there, I guess."

Shego was slightly disturbed; Kim wasn't supposed to apologize to her, for one, and for two, this scene was giving her a feeling of slight déjà vu. Kim's expression was killing her frustration with the younger girl, too, which was throwing off her usual groove. She scrambled mentally for a few seconds to get back on track, and when she was ready she adopted a carefully neutral expression. "Hey, Kimmie," she began, almost as softly as Kim, "chin up—you were just doing what you've been doing for ever and ever, right? I think I have it in me to forgive you once or twice, you know." She finished with one of her lopsided half-smirk-half-smiles.

Kim echoed the smile. "I would never have guessed," she replied. Then her mood shifted and she was back to business—they'd have time for sappiness later. "So how are we going to get rid of these things?"

"My plasma wasn't working so well that I could see," Shego admitted. "I think the force was having more effect than the heat."

"Which is really strange," Kim agreed. Just then her Kimmunicator went off. She yanked it out and hit the screen without really paying attention to it, instead focusing more on the rats. "Go, Wade," she ordered.

"Hey, Kim," Wade called, "I've got a—uh, wait a second. Why's Shego there, and not trying to beat you senseless?"

"Now's not the time, poindexter," Shego threatened before Kim could respond. "What the hell are these rats and why are they here?"

"Uh…don't know that much yet," he admitted, "but if you could get me closer…?"

Shego looked incredulously at the screen, but Kim shrugged. "Can do," she told him. "You want me to get actually on one?"

Wade nodded. "Seeing as they're cyberized," he reasoned, "you should be able to plug in the Kimmunicator just fine. I can have all kinds of fun from there."

Shego shifted her "are you _crazy?!" _look from the device to Kim. "You _want _to go back there?"

"We've got to get rid of them, don't we?" Kim said, returning the glorified phone to her pocket. "Besides, you said you lived here; wouldn't want your home to crumble from a giant mutant killer cyborg rat infestation, would you?"

"I can't believe you said that with a straight face," Shego grumbled, then sighed. "Let's go."

With that the two swept into action. Kim fired off her grappling hair dryer again, this time allowing the two to descend to ground level without fear of going splat. They dashed towards the closest of the rodents of quite unusual size, and skidded to a stop when they saw it turn its attention to them. "Uh oh," Kim muttered, before she and Shego skittered apart, giving it two targets instead of one.

Luckily for Kim, who also felt a bit guilty for thinking that, it decided to go after Shego again. After all, she glowed, and she hurt. Kim raced around to its backside, dodging the flailing tail that was as thick as the steel cables on suspension bridges. Seeing a moment present itself she gathered her legs under her and leapt, trusting in her prodigious athleticism and cheerleading skills to get her a decent vertical head start in climbing the thing's back.

Shego, for her part, swore viciously as the thing tried to step on her yet again. She saw one foot coming and gathered her plasma to her hands, flinging it at the offending appendage. True to what she'd told Kim it looked like it didn't hurt much, but the kinetic force flung the foot back with enough distance to temporarily unbalance the king-sized rat. Shego used the opportunity to run out in front of it and catch its attention again, waving her arms over her head and making sure it lumbered towards her before she raced away toward the other two cyberized giga-rodents.

Kim nearly lost it when the rat suddenly reversed direction slightly, and she slammed into its back with tooth-rattling force, but she grabbed hold of what fur she could in both hands and held on for dear life. It worked; she maintained her dear life, and her grip, as the rat settled down again. When she was relatively certain it hadn't noticed her—or at least didn't consider her enough of a nuisance to try and remove her—she began her ascent.

She had reached the back of its neck when it turned and lumbered back to its companions. She risked a glance around its neck and found the other rats watching the one she was riding expectantly, as if they were waiting for it to return so they could resume their mayhem. Kim quickly climbed the rest of the way to the top of the rat's head and whipped out her Kimmunicator.

A shout from below was all the warning she had, and she looked up in time to see the rat's arm rising, its forepaw moving to sweep her off its head as if she were a flea. She dropped, flattening herself against the top of the rat's head as its paw passed overhead. The breeze its passing created was not insignificant by any means, and Kim felt her own hair fluttering mightily. She then noted the last detail about the giant mutant killer cyborg rats.

They stank.

She knew that most rodents didn't have the greatest odors—Rufus being an exception, as he had no hair or fur and was regularly groomed, such as he could be, by Ron—but this was worse than usual, probably from their size, she guessed. And having her face practically buried in its skin didn't help, either. Add to that the stink was foul enough to make her eyes water and make her dizzy, and she was _not _having a fun time at the moment.

After watching to make sure Kim didn't go flying, Shego placed a couple of plasma shots at the rat's belly and smirked as it hissed in pain. Apparently they weren't as invulnerable as she'd originally thought…Then she remembered how not-invulnerable _she_ was as it tail-swept her, bashing her into the side of one of the still-standing skyscrapers. The dust kicked up by her impact settled after only a handful of seconds, and she groaned as she peeled herself off the wall. She shook herself, freeing the dust to float in the air again, as she regained most of her senses.

A growl escaped Shego's throat as she flared her hands again, brighter than before. She stalked forward and rained blast after blast of searing plasma at various spots on the one monster that had knocked her aside and his two brethren. She strolled purposefully right in the middle of all three of them, continuing to direct her fury through the controllable medium of her plasma.

Kim picked herself up after successfully retaining her lunch and gingerly tiptoed across the rat's head to the telltale location she'd spotted from their building perch a moment ago. She readied her Kimmunicator, still clutched tightly in her hand, and pulled a cable from its front end. She knelt down behind the rat's ear and knocked gently on the metallic panel present there; the panel itself began at that location and wrapped down the side of the rat's face, extending forward about halfway along its snout. All three of the rats sported the same modifications, which Kim felt was decidedly lucky for her. She pried the metal upward slightly and was rewarded with it popping open on a hinge, exposing the interfaces used to control them. Kim plugged in and dialed up Wade. "All yours," she told him as soon as his face appeared, and he nodded, fingers already flying on the keyboard in front of him. It never occurred to her to question the fortuitous placement of such an interface; after all, she'd seen plenty of them before, so why expect things to change?

Shego continued to batter the rats mercilessly, though she could tell she was doing little more than slowing their approaches and annoying them. She was starting to feel the burn, so to speak; throwing so much plasma around was quickly depleting what energy she had left, especially since she'd left her home before having eaten anything. Soon enough all three were standing right around her, practically shoulder to shoulder. One was even blocking the sun from her view. Each rat stared down at her; Shego felt like they were contemplating which one would get to eat her first.

They didn't have a chance, though; arcs of crackling blue electricity suddenly erupted from the head of the one Kim had leapt onto, crawling up and over the obvious implants and surrounding its head in what looked like a lightning storm. The current leapt, joining all three rats together with high-voltage blue lines, and Shego breathlessly watched them teeter dangerously as both organic and mechanical brain parts fried under the relentless electrical assault.

A heavy thud, accompanied by a feminine grunt of pain, signaled Kim's landing next to her.

Of course, that's also when the rats finished frying; without warning they began to fall.

Shego did the one thing she could think of: she charged up as much as she could, and Kim reflexively stepped back as the area's temperature rapidly climbed. Calmly and deliberately Shego raised her arms, which were surrounded to her shoulders in her characteristic glow. As the rats toppled she flung three massive bursts at each one's head; then, totally spent, her plasma aura extinguished itself and she nearly collapsed.

Kim rushed back in and caught Shego under the arms before the green woman could hit the ground. Before anything else, though, Shego's shots connected. The results were…impressive.

One rat caught the blast full on in its mouth. As its mouth, apparently, wasn't nearly as flame-retardant as its fur, the shot melted clean through everything in its path. The rat's head didn't explode, but it came close.

The other two each took their blasts just under the eye. The kinetic transfer snapped them both upright and they then toppled over backwards. They smashed down on the remains of their concrete-and-steel destruction spree, smoke still rising from their mechanical parts and from the blast marks.

The ground shook violently, nearly knocking both females off their feet, but Kim held up and kept Shego off the ground. The former thief shook her head groggily and looked over her shoulder. "Nice catch," she slurred.

"Nice shooting," Kim returned. "You made 'em dance."

Shego blinked once, slowly, then chuckled as she got the joke. Kim giggled too, then helped Shego stand for a second as she looped one arm over her shoulder, putting her own arm around Shego's waist.

"Think you can tell me where you live?" Kim asked. "You're going to be a bit closer than my house."

"Jus' keep me walkin' and talkin'," Shego answered, the tired slur in her voice quite obvious to Kim. She could already see her eyelids start to droop. "'s long as I'm awake, I c'n get you there."

"Am I allowed to resort to tickling you if I have to?" Kim asked, her face the very picture of innocence.

Shego stopped, causing Kim to stop, and swiveled her head to stare at Kim. "You do, you die," she pronounced, quite clearly.

Kim giggled again and resumed their trek.

For herself, Kim was very nearly euphoric. She'd been scared to death when she first saw Shego fighting and almost getting literally stomped; looking back while they walked, she could easily identify what that initial feeling was. Then when she'd "rescued" Shego she'd gone from scared to calm in an instant; it was like she'd been working alongside the other woman all her life, and standing there meant a return to that feeling of normalcy. If Ron had been there with her, she probably wouldn't have risked climbing the rat that way; with Shego, instead, Kim really felt like she could do _anything_. She could have walked up to those rats, tied their tails around her finger, and swung them around like they were normal lab rats. She could have picked up a skyscraper, swung it sideways, and scored a home run off those rats. She could have done all that, and more, all because of who she was with at the moment.

The only real reason she wasn't entirely giddy was…she was confused. After all, she never felt that capable with Ron, or even on her own. So why did she suddenly feel so…super with Shego around? What was it about the green-skinned martial artist that Kim drew such strength from? And…why was she staring at said green face? Studying its profile, noting the still-cascading green-tinted black hair, the delicate ear, the strong cheekbone, elegant jaw, an eye that shone with inner fire even in this depleted state…

That same eye turned and regarded Kim levelly. "Do I have something on my face?" the wonderful _kissable_ lips associated with it asked.

"Oh—!" Kim eeped as her face turned almost the same shade of red as her hair. She quickly turned away, trying to stare hard at the road ahead and burn away the image of Shego's face. She wasn't even questioning where here thoughts had gone for now; that would come later, an unheeded corner of her mind promised.

_She looked…like a statue. She looked perfect_, Kim thought.

Or rather, she _thought _she thought it. Shego, though, stunned into silence, didn't—couldn't—do anything to let Kim know she'd accidentally spoken that observation aloud. The ex-thief was certainly awake now, though, as her mind was racing down paths similar to the morning's thoughts in the shower. _She likes me she likes me she likes me oh god she likes me_, went her brain at speeds previously thought unreachable by any organic thinking apparatus. Hope, fear, apprehension, excitement; all coursed through her in milliseconds. Hope and excitement because Shego already knew that's what she wanted—, she'd practically fallen for Kim ages ago, even if she didn't realize it then or if she wouldn't admit it to her mother; fear and apprehension because she wasn't _sure _that that's what Kim wanted, because if she dared say anything Kim would be scared away, and because even if Kim weren't scared away there were pressures galore stacked up against them.

What both girls failed to notice was how each one's arms slowly, subtly, but definitely tightened around each other as they walked.

Shego finally cleared her head enough to regain some of her normal personality, directing Kim to turn at a particular intersection. She was going to get the home eventually…but dammit, she was going to take her time doing it. It _had _been a couple of weeks since she'd last seen Princess…and the longer trip would be harmless, right?

* * *

They finally arrived on the doorstep to Shego's home about an hour later. Kim had relied on Shego for directions, as her Kimmunicator had fried quite nicely with the electrical discharge from the giant rats. When they arrived she was quite honestly amazed.

The house was big—by no means was it palatial, but it certainly put the Possible residence to shame, and that fit five people quite comfortably with room to spare for more should the need arise. This home, though, was easily half again as large as Kim's house. It featured only two stories, but the property had to be a double-wide lot as the lateral footprint was ginormous.

An instant of doubt rose in her mind—Shego _had _been a villain for years, after all, and wouldn't it make sense for her to lie her way into someone else's home? Or maybe this was another hideout?—but Kim quashed it instantly. Shego's directions had been far too effortless for this to be anything but her real home. _A _real home, she corrected herself; the two vehicles visible in the driveway next to the house suggested Shego wasn't the only occupant, and Kim also already knew she maintained an apartment elsewhere, aside from her own hideaways, that she spent most of her time at while not at Drakken's various lairs.

She assisted a listless Shego to the front door; the other woman had finally given up pretending to be moderately okay and had leaned very heavily on Kim for support for the last ten minutes or so. They climbed the four steps from sidewalk to porch and Kim released her outside hand from holding onto Shego's arm that was draped across her shoulders and pressed the doorbell.

She didn't have to wait long; about five seconds later the door opened and Kim blinked, for a virtual clone of Shego's face, though a tad more lined with age, and with normal pinkish skin (though still pale) instead of Shego's green, appeared before her.

The other woman blinked as well, equally stupefied for the moment before her brain revived itself. "Dammit," she muttered, her expression falling into a familiar scowl, and Kim hid a smile; she could easily guess where she was now. "You must be 'Kimmie,'" the woman said, and Kim hesitated, then nodded. _Kimmie_? she thought. _Shego talks about me?_ Her momentary reverie was interrupted when the older woman beckoned her in; she could easily see how Shego's head had drooped almost all the way down, and though it wasn't a common occurrence anymore, Isabel Go knew what the signs were when Shego pushed herself to her limits.

"This way," she said, almost pleasantly, as she led Kim through the house to Shego's bedroom. If it weren't for Shego being mostly unconscious, Isabel knew, she'd be throwing a fit at the notion of Kim being shown her room; the opportunity to tease, though, was too sweet to pass up, especially since Shego couldn't fight back at all at the moment.

Kim followed and deposited Shego on the indicated bed when Isabel stopped. After she watched the other woman—who, Kim decided, could only be Shego's mother, from her looks and actions—arrange the ex-thief comfortably on the bed, Kim consented to being led out of the room. She was actually quite worried about Shego, but given her mother's professionalism this apparently was far from the first occurrence of…whatever.

Isabel led Kim into the large family room, where she claimed a rather large leather loveseat that sat perpendicular to a similarly large, stone-worked, currently-unlit fireplace. Kim appropriated a smaller chair and immediately had to fight knocking herself out as she sank into its fluffy, cushiony goodness.

"My apologies for the somewhat rude introduction," Isabel began with half a wry smile, "but this isn't the first time she's worn herself out like that. When she wakes up, if she's not in familiar surroundings, the time it takes to get her bearings can make her panic…and she doesn't panic well."

Kim nodded, though she had to admit, "I don't think I've _ever _seen Shego panic."

"Count yourself among the lucky, then," Isabel answered. She stood abruptly and crossed the room, offering her hand to Kim. "Isabel Go," she said.

Kim stood as well and joined hands. "Kim Possible, but you sounded like you already knew that," she said, wearing a self-effacing smile.

"It's hard not to have done so," Isabel returned. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable; I imagine you'll be wanting to stay until Rheann wakes up."

Kim nodded and sat back down. Then the words Isabel had used registered in her mind. "Who's Rheann?" she asked.

"Rheann is my daughter," Isabel answered matter-of-factly, gesturing to the back room as she re-took her own position on the loveseat. "Rheann Cassidy Go."

Kim was silent for a moment. "I…actually didn't think she had a full name," she said honestly. "She's always been just Shego."

"Shego's the name she took when she worked with her brothers, though they hardly called her that until she left." Isabel shrugged. "Her father and I wondered how she came up with the She part."

"That's a good question…" She fell silent. "So…not to be rude, but it looked like you were expecting us. Did you put in the request on my website?"

"Absolutely," Isabel answered instantly. "The media were having a field day covering those rat…things, and when I saw Rheann down there alone…well, I knew she wouldn't be able to handle them all by herself. She may like to think so, but look at her now—and that's _after _having your help." She shrugged. "I know my daughter's tough, but even she has limits, and this would have over-taxed her."

"So…does Shego come here often?" Boy, Kim thought, she was sure finding out just how badly she could put her foot in her mouth. _And just how scatterbrained I can sound._

Isabel, though, appeared amused, either by the lack of tact or by the statement itself. "Not at all," she answered. "This is actually the first time she's been home since she left the team and her brothers."

"I see," Kim said, and silence returned for a few seconds. She was starting to get antsy; she really wanted to make sure for herself that Shego was going to be okay, but didn't want to be rude to Isabel. After all, she'd only been sitting out there for a few short minutes. She stared at her folded hands while her inner debate raged. Really, she was quite worried about Shego—she'd never seen her wear herself out like that, not even when Kim had, in a fit of pique, declared she hated her and kicked her into a tower. Kim had been utterly remorseful for days after the fact, but then had been unspeakably relieved when Shego apparently had put the matter behind them.

Her other concern was that Shego had been down there in the first place. She almost couldn't believe she'd accused her of playing at being a hero, but there it was, and despite Shego's apparent magnanimity, she still felt horrible at having been so…well, bitchy. _Maybe being around her is starting to rub off on me,_ Kim mused silently, still staring at her hands.

Isabel, perceptive as always, noted the indecision on Kim's face and decided to lend the slender hero a hand in this instance, making the decision for her. "Come with me," she said, standing, and Kim found herself obeying without thinking. She led them back to Shego's room, and Kim was stunned to awed silence by how peaceful Shego looked at the moment.

Her usual scowl was gone, not replaced by her confident, cocky smirk but instead smoothed to complete neutrality. Isabel had brushed Shego's incredible dark hair under her, and the sun pouring in through the opened curtains made it shine lustrously, the dark strands traced faintly with green. Her skin was catching the extra light and, instead of it highlighting just how pale she was, to Kim it made her seem to…well, glow, almost like the paintings of glowing cherubs she'd recovered for the Upperton Art Museum a few weeks ago.

_That's right, she's _my _angel_.

The sudden thought caught Kim by surprise—and she was surprised again when she noticed she really meant what she'd thought. Suddenly she came back to reality and noticed that Isabel had left her side. She turned around and spotted Shego's mother in the doorway, walking out. When Kim took a step, Isabel turned and held up a hand. "She'll need a familiar face, too, when she wakes up," she told Kim, and left, closing the door softly behind her.

Rational thought clashed with hormone-driven emotions in Kim's mind as she stared at the door. On the rational side, Isabel was probably correct—but why did that mean that Kim had to stay? Why couldn't Isabel? In fact, Kim was sure that any present family member could have stayed instead, leaving Kim to get home so she could get back to her final packing chores, and get in contact with Wade for a new Kimmunicator.

Emotive thought, though, would win the day today, especially when it got a boost from Kim turning back to the sleeping martial artist. Her body seemingly moving of its own accord, she grabbed the lone free chair in the room and dragged it next to the bed, all the while not taking her gaze off Shego. She sat, leaned forward, put her hands on the edge of the bed. It took every ounce of self-control she had to not climb up there with Shego…which meant she had none left when it came to her other urges.

Her left hand reached out and rested lightly on the crown of Shego's head, and Kim was slightly surprised at the quality of Shego's hair: soft, silky, and in general more alluring than she'd ever noticed before. Her gaze traveled down, past Shego's face—memories of a couple of hours ago resurfaced and Kim blushed, though she was still transfixed by how easy it looked to just get lost in Shego's lips and eyes—and to the exposed portion of her abdomen her shirt didn't cover.

Kim hadn't had the ability to notice at the time, but while Shego had been fighting next to her, she'd been in the farthest thing from her normal catsuit; she had instead been clad in a midriff-baring green tee and a pair of black denim shorts. Now, Kim could notice, and what she saw was terribly attractive and exciting to her; after the train of thought of the last few minutes, that was really no surprise.

Kim knew herself, obviously—at least, in her own mind, it was obvious—and had never had the slightest inclination toward attraction to another woman—until Shego, at least. And, as near as she could tell, it still dealt only with Shego. After all, she'd been with the cheer squad almost all the way through high school, and nothing had come of that, not even faint stirrings. Even now she felt absolutely no such connection with any other female, not even Shego's mother, who looked so much like her Kim had almost confused them at first.

_So…so maybe it means I'm not a lesbian_, Kim thought tentatively, and was immediately swept with a wave of guilty relief. _And yet I still really, really want Shego, who's really, really obviously female, _she contradicted herself, chasing the relief with uncertainty. _This is _so _the drama._ She found her right hand idly caressing the skin on Shego's abdomen while she thought, and the pale woman had actually shifted in her sleep so she was on her right side, facing Kim, hands tucked up underneath her head. Kim thought she looked absolutely adorable, before her gaze caught itself in the nice view of pale green cleavage afforded by the loose shirt. Kim could feel the blood rush to her head as she majorly blushed again, but she couldn't help but stare. Shego's physique was…impressive, to say the least.

Her right hand wandered south a little bit, resting on Shego's upper leg, stroking the limb gently and tenderly. She could feel the muscle underneath and marveled at just how long Shego's legs actually were. The catsuit did a good job of accentuating their length, but the short shorts gave the entire limb to Kim to play with. She looked at the whole thing, in awe at how wiry Shego was; a muscle-bound moron she was not, instead having incredible strength with incredible tone. Kim knew that she herself was similar, but Shego's lines were smooth enough that Kim's earlier thought about her being a statue came to mind again. She continued stroking the leg, increasing the pressure of her touch a little bit, and was rewarded with Shego making contented noises, almost like she was purring.

Kim pressed on in her exploration of Shego's body, running her hand all the way down to her feet and ankles, both of which looked deceptively small and petite. Kim already knew for sure—more sure than she was about her actual orientation right now—that she wasn't into any sort of fetishism, yet the…girly quality of Shego's feet sent a thrill through her, made her feel a bit tingly in her chest.

She ran her hand back up the leg, stopping at the limit of Shego's clothes; she wasn't ready to go that far yet, at least not while Shego was out of it, but the feel of her skin and its underlying warmth was becoming incredibly addictive. Her mind finally decided to just surrender, conceding its battle with her emotions and libido, which had recently joined in the metaphysical fracas.

Kim abandoned her chair and slipped onto the bed, moving as carefully as she could to avoid disturbing the sleeping woman, and settled down in front of her. She propped up her head on her left hand while her right stayed on the side of Shego's torso. She cast one last look downward, taking a better angle to view down Shego's shirt, then returned her gaze to that lovely pale-green face.

Kim closed her eyes and sighed to herself; it was time to throw her cautious self to the wind and do what she suddenly realized she really wanted to do. She reopened her eyes and leaned her head forward a little bit, taking her head off her hand so she could reach down to Shego's level. Closer in she went, closer, closer, the smell of whatever shampoo Shego used filling her nose, closer still, until she could see nothing else but that face; she came in closer, holding her breath, her heart beating a thousand times as hard as it ever had before, their lips mere millimeters apart…

Shego half-opened her eyes. "Are you gonna kiss me or what?"

* * *

A/N: And there we end! The chapter, that is. I would keep going but it makes good fodder for next chapter—and this was long enough already.

One more thing—I'd like to request a beta reader of sorts. If anyone would be interested, send a message or email or whatnot. My writing seems to me to be quite jerky sometimes and I'd like other input as to ways to smooth it out. Reviews are good for that, too, but they're a bit post-facto to fix the past. And yes, I'm aware of revisions to previous chapters. I posted the last chapter (6) about eight times.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. For those who await, fear not; things _will _get steamy.


	8. Chapter 8: It Takes Two To What?

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 8

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: About the only original thing I own here is my life. KP and the gang are Disney's, Isabel and Kane are StarvingLunatic's, and so on and so forth.

* * *

Kim Possible fell off the bed.

There was exactly nothing going through her mind at that instant; she was simply far too shocked to even process what had happened, and her usually-favorable reflexes had kicked in over the top; she'd rolled backwards and ran out of mattress real estate.

Shego, who'd been pleasantly asleep until a few seconds ago—or at least, who'd been putting up the appearance of being pleasantly asleep until a few seconds ago—pulled herself to the edge of the bed and looked down. "You okay, Princess?" she asked; she still sounded mildly groggy.

Finally Kim fought off the mind-numbing paralysis of shock and shook her head vigorously. "You scared me to death!" she complained, color rising in her cheeks.

Shego snorted a laugh as she watched Kim on the ground. "You're cute when you blush," she said, causing Kim to turn even redder, which in turn made Shego actually chuckle.

"You're an evil, evil person," Kim declared, picking herself up off the ground and plopping back into the chair she'd abandoned a few minutes ago.

"Just so we're clear on that," Shego agreed, rolling back onto her back. She stretched mightily, and Kim heard several joints popping like they hadn't been used in hours. Shego relaxed again. "Much better," she said, breathing deeply and letting it out as a sigh.

"Are you okay?" Kim asked, concerned, and once again Shego marveled at how the women in her life could switch moods at the drop of…well, in this case, a cheerleader.

"Fine, Pumpkin," she replied. "Though I think I'll stay here for a while. It's comfy." _It was comfier five seconds ago_…

"I'm glad," Kim said, relieved almost entirely. "You had me kinda scared earlier; I've never seen you…flame out, I guess, like that before."

"Yeah, well, the energy's not bottomless," Shego commented. "In about fifteen minutes I'll be starving to death. After I get over that I'll be back to my normal bitchy self, and you can stop worrying."

"Okay," Kim answered. Shego chuckled again at how Kim didn't protest the mild cuss. Companionable silence blanketed the room yet again until Kim piped up with, "Hey, those rats—did anything seem…I don't know, kinda familiar about them?"

One eyebrow raised, Shego regarded Kim. "Uh, no? They were sixty-foot-tall giant mutant killer cyborg lab rats." She stopped, and a pained expression crossed her face before she smacked it with her palm. "I can't believe _I _just said that with a straight face."

Kim giggled. "It happens to the best of us," she said, giving Shego a knowing glance. Then she sobered. "I meant…first, unless someone was new on the scene, I recognized part of those cyborg parts."

Shego frowned at the implication. "So someone you know's behind this."

"A bunch of someones, I think," Kim agreed. "I don't have my Kimmunicator to call Wade, but I have some guesses."

"Care to share?"

"Only if you're going to help me stop them," Kim countered. "It's not that I don't trust you," she went on hurriedly, seeing Shego's expression drop toward anger, "it's just that I'd rather not have you worry about it if you're not going to do something about it."

"You don't need to protect me, Princess," Shego argued. "I'm a big girl now, see? And today notwithstanding, I can take care of myself." She harrumphed, crossing her arms under her breasts. "Besides, whoever did that—and I've got ideas, too—set it up while I was there, which means instant bad news for them."

"Don't do that," Kim said, and when Shego looked she noted Kim's eyes were glazed a little bit. She was also staring, quite pointedly, at Shego's shirt.

Shego smirked. "Do what, Princess?" she asked, drawing her knees up and crossing one leg over another, even though she was still on her back.

Kim shook herself back to her senses before her brain overloaded. "Um," she restarted lamely, "what I meant was, don't do anything you'd regret later. To whoever's behind this."

"Right, right," Shego nodded, smirk still in place. She was not going to let Kim get out of this one, at least not without making her dizzy from blushing. That much blood to the head couldn't be healthy, she decided. Still, it was fun enough to tease her to that point. To that end she tightened her arms slightly, pushing her chest up just a little more. The material of her shirt was stretched to begin with; this made it strain harder.

Kim's mind was threatening to check out again, but with a Herculean effort she forced it to behave—for now. She focused on her semi-partner's face. "…Where was I? Right, the bad guys. So I'm thinking there's a bunch of them working together," she finished.

"Yeah. You said that already," Shego said. While she was mildly disappointed that Kim had apparently stopped being flustered, she was still acting scatterbrained, which was also highly amusing.

"I did?" Kim blinked, mildly confused. She pursed her lips. "I blame you for distracting me."

Shego merely shrugged, causing some interesting bouncing.

Again Kim had to force her eyes upward. "I think it was three, specifically: DNAmy, Drakken, and Dementor."

"Big Blue Bucketheads, Incorporated," Shego offered instantly.

Kim lost the fight not to laugh. "I'll bet Dementor's first name is Helmut," she said, deliberately mispronouncing the German, mangling it to American English standards.

It was Shego's turn to laugh, not her usual short, sharp, sarcastic "Ha!", but a full-on giggle. She sobered quickly enough, though, to ask, "Mr. Bucket I can see, but why Amy and Dr. D?"

"I'd have thought DNAmy would be obvious," Kim answered, still smiling. "Normal white rats aren't quite that…fireproof. Or durable."

"Touché," Shego replied, one eyebrow raised. She hadn't thought of that one…yet.

"And Drakken because, well, they _were _sixty feet tall, as you said," Kim answered. "Plus you said they came out of nowhere. Things that big can't just come out of nowhere. They'd either lead a path of destruction if they walked in, a crater if they dropped in, or a new subway tunnel if they dug in. All that makes me think they got rayed."

"Rayed?"

"Rayed. As in, the big blue meanie designed some sort of growth gun that he zapped them with. That's the only way they could have snuck up on you, is if they weren't that big to begin with."

"So you've got the Three Stooges with the gun from Honey, I Blew Up the Rats. We've got the who and the what. Next is…why?"

Kim shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine—probably better. You _did_work for Drakken, after all."

"Don't remind me," Shego grumped. She was going to be extremely glad—probably eternally glad—that she'd finally told the blue idiot off a couple of weeks ago. Through some semi-subconscious prodding from Kim, who probably hadn't even realized she'd done it, Shego had decided that no amount of pay was worth the damage to her dignity that he inflicted on a daily basis. _Plus his schemes were stupid enough…and seriously, he tried to take a guy's_wheelchair_ away. That's more evil than even I like._

Kim waited a moment. "So?"

"So what?"

"Any guesses?"

Shego snorted. "I'm not a miracle thinker, Princess. Besides, you're probably just as good on the input side. They are, after all, _your_enemies."

It was Kim's turn to say, "Touché." She thought. After a few seconds, she put her chin in a hand, holding that elbow with her other hand.

_All she needs to do is bite her lip and I think I'd die from the cuteness overload_, Shego thought. She sat up and sighed. "Look, Kimmie, they've all got one thing—well, at least three things in common: stupid plots, jail cell numbers, and you."

"What do you mean, me?" Kim asked.

"You stop them all," Shego explained patiently. For someone allegedly as smart as Kim was, she was sure dense, sometimes. "Take Dr. D, for example. Sure, I poke holes in his plans all the time, and they're mostly fruity to begin with, but if you didn't show up to stop him, he'd probably actually succeed more than half the time. That's the same thing with both the Beluga and Buckethead."

"So you're saying they're working together…"

"To try and get you out of the picture, by any means possible. Sorry, bad joke, I guess."

Kim shivered a bit. It was one thing to know she was a teenaged nemesis of several supervillains; it was quite another to find out they were actively trying to off her now. She could feel the oppressive weight of her own mortality all of a sudden, the reminder that, in spite of her can-do claims, she was still only human. It was actually mildly depressing, and would have been more so if only for her usual optimism.

Shego watched Kim work through the mild funk. It pained her to do so and not provide any assistance, but she knew Kim was a strong person. It was one of her more attractive qualities.

Kim wondered what it was about her that made her so irksome that they'd actively try to kill her. After all, sure, she foiled their plans, but they always escaped, broke out of jail if necessary, and tried again. It wasn't like she injured them or put them away for good or anything, even though they were such a source of never-ending frustration that she _wished_ quite often that they would just stay captured. The fact, though, that they were frustrated with _her_enough to try something really drastic…well, she couldn't see it from this plan—it was hare-brained enough to be almost normal, and besides, they'd teamed up before and failed, right? Still, she thought, better to be safe than sorry. And moving to Go City meant she'd be somewhat hidden at first.

Except…

"Shego, do you think this was a test run? Or were they actually trying today?" she asked.

"Dunno, Pumpkin," Shego answered honestly. "The fact that we didn't see any of them at the scene—you didn't hear the usual 'But you're not' speech, did you?—probably means this was a test run."

"So they don't know I'm moving here…" she mused aloud.

Shego frowned. "No, because neither did I," she said, "and it'd be hard for them to know something and not me."

Kim blinked at her. "I thought I mentioned that I start at Go U in like two days."

"Nope," Shego replied. Her frown briefly reversed direction. "That's my alma mater, though. Go Mascots!" she gave the little cheer.

"You went there?" Kim asked, surprised.

"Remember, Princess, I _do _have a degree in child development. My little teaching stint should be fresh memory matter, right?" Shego grimaced at that; though she'd been able to bond with Kim, she had been effectively mind-controlled; needless to say she _hated _mind control, in all its forms.

"Now that you mention it, yes," the redhead confirmed. She shifted in her seat a tad. "And…Mascots?"

"Hey, when the university decided to update its image, someone went a little more tongue-in-cheek than usual," Shego replied. At Kim's look she raised her arms. "And it wasn't me, either," she said seriously. "They did that before I even thought of going there. That's also why there're no real school colors, either."

"Uh_huh_," Kim replied. It was clear she was skeptical, but she didn't say any more about it.

Their brief conversation concluded, Shego returned to lying on the bed, and Kim to studying her from the chair. They didn't say anything to each other for quite some time, each just relishing the other's presence. Finally Kim just started to smile.

Shego felt the stare, looked, and saw the smile. "What are you smiling for?"

"I don't know," Kim replied, still smiling. "I just felt like it."

"It's kinda creeping me out."

"Sorry." Still, she didn't stop. In fact, the smile only grew wider.

"You're getting worse," Shego warned. Her emerald eyes looked worriedly into Kim's leafy-green ones. "Stop it."

"I'm just…I don't know," Kim gushed. "I guess…I'm excited? Thrilled? Ecstatic?"

"…Why?" Now Shego was plain confused.

"Because!" Kim practically exploded out of the chair. This was the most animated Shego had seen her since…well, really, since the last time the two of them had really fought, or since they had taken out those aliens a few months ago. "I just realized, really. But we fought together out there."

"Yeah," Shego drawled slowly. _Where is she going with this?_

"That's it, though! We fought _together_. Not against each other—_together_. And you know what? I think we did a pretty good job out there, too."

Shego blinked. "Well, yeah," she replied evenly. "Come on, Princess. If nobody can stand up to us separately except each other, then by process of elimination it means if we're working together then we'd just roll over everyone and everything."

"I know!" Kim was getting _really_ excited now; Shego could see it. "Wasn't it awesome? Didn't you feel excited?"

After a moment's thought, Shego said, "Actually, yeah. I did. And it was." She sounded like she didn't quite believe it herself.

"See? We _can _agree on things," Kim said triumphantly. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Looks that way," Shego said. She smiled slyly. "That still doesn't mean I'm going to do your hero thing, though," she added.

"And why not?" Kim asked, her energy still running high. "For all you say that today was in self-preservation, you still saved the city from any further problems, as well as all those people that could flee the scene thanks to you keeping those rats busy. That sounds pretty heroic to me."

"Hey, they almost stepped on me. Besides, I couldn't have cared less if other people got stomped instead."

"I don't believe that for a second," Kim argued. "The way you kept on even after I showed up, then completely exhausted yourself making sure they didn't fall onto any other buildings—that's not a very callous thing to do."

"I--" Shego began, but stopped. Damn, but Kim had a point there. Why _did_she stick around? Oh, right. "I couldn't let you have all the fun there, Pumpkin," she continued. "So what if it means I did a good thing? It was for purely selfish reasons."

"I won't tell you the ends justify the means," Kim countered, "but I don't believe _that, _either. Admit it—you were worried! You didn't want those things to rampage around your home and possibly get to people you actually care about."

Shego sighed. "You're not going to stop unless you think I've changed my mind, are you?" Kim shook her head. "I know you want me to be all good, but nobody can change that quickly."

"I don't want you to be anybody but yourself," Kim replied. "I'd be super excited if you decided to do that, but I'll be happy so long as you keep out of the bad guys' camp. I like you too much to have to fight you all the time again."

That earned her a raised eyebrow. "Really now? You'd be okay if I just sat all this out?"

Kim nodded firmly.

"And you'd be excited if I joined your Team Possible," she continued.

Another nod.

"And you think I could actually enjoy being a Good Guy."

She nodded again.

"And you really want to kiss me right now, don't you?"

Kim got halfway through another nod before freezing, her face still pointed down from stopping her head motion. She cast a quick glance up at Shego, who was sitting simply, her legs folded, and a triumphant smirk on her face. She could feel her own face heating up quickly, which probably meant she was turning all sorts of red right now.

Shego really had to work to suppress a giggle; as much fun as it was teasing Kimmie, this was probably the worst she'd ever gotten her. The reaction was classic—a Kodak moment waiting to happen, except Shego didn't have a camera. _But wait_… She checked her pockets, breaking her gaze from Kim's for a second, and discovered that, indeed, she had her cell phone with her…with its built-in camera. She quickly dug it out, flipped it open, and aimed the lens at Kim's face.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Kim protested.

"Snapping something to cheer me up when I'm all alone on long, dark, cold nights," Shego replied, and Kim heard the fake camera shutter noise. Her blush failed to recede at all.

"Don't do that!" she nearly shrieked, and made a grab for Shego's phone.

"Aww, Kimmie, you're camera-shy?" Shego asked, pulling her hand out of Kim's arms' reach.

"I am if it's that picture!" she replied while trying again to grab the offending device.

They kept it up for another couple of minutes, Shego eventually posting her hand on Kim's forehead and, thanks to her slightly longer arms, keeping Kim entirely out of reach while the redhead flailed her own arms at the ex-villainess. The whole scene was quite comical to Shego, and Kim eventually felt her blush go away, which meant that Kim could be less desperate and more calculating. She popped Shego's hand off her head with an elbow, marveling once it was gone at the heat it put out, and lunged, tackling Shego around the waist and knocking them both over onto the bed.

Shego yelped as Kim moved suddenly, and her phone slipped from her grasp—it was either do that or grip it tightly enough to crush it, she knew, and she picked the better option. They rolled around on the bed, each trying to pin the other, turning the camera fight into a good-natured wrestling match which Kim won, barely. Shego's legs were off the bed, which meant the smaller girl had more leverage and body weight with which to pin.

Kim was momentarily distracted as she finally noticed how Shego's hands were empty. "Hey, where's your phone?" she asked, confused.

"Dunno," Shego replied, using Kim's momentary distraction to remove her arm from Kim's shoulder and bend the adventurer's elbow out. Kim, lacking the rigidity necessary to keep Shego pinned, tried to recoil back, but she was too late; Shego heaved to the side and they rolled again, this time with Shego holding Kim's arms above her head with one hand and the other poised at Kim's waist. "And I win," she smirked.

Kim's eyes were huge with the fear of being tickled; she didn't know if Shego knew she was ticklish, but it looked like the green-skinned woman wouldn't mind finding out.

It never even occurred to her, or Shego, either, how genuinely playful they were acting at the moment—rather like young children, or perhaps more like…lovers.

Kim didn't even try to resist, since she had a very, very Bad Feeling that doing so would entail having her stomach tickled mercilessly. Instead she relaxed as much as she dared. Shego accepted the accession of victory and flopped down to Kim's side, releasing her arms. She propped her head up on one hand as she laid on her side. "That was certainly entertaining," she remarked. "When was the last time that we actually grappled like that?"

Kim looked like she was going to answer right away, but something stopped her, and she thought. Her eyes roamed the ceiling before looking back to Shego. "It was a long time ago," she answered, "but that's about all I remember. Way before graduation and all that."

Shego nodded. "That's what I was thinking. We need to tussle like that more," she said, catching Kim's gaze. "Especially if I'm giving up the Bad Guy stuff. I don't want to lose my edge."

Kim blinked. "You're…you're really going to do that?"

Shego rolled her eyes. "Doy. Why do you think I've been at my parents' place this whole time?"

"Because here, no one would know where you were," Kim guessed.

"Eh, close enough," Shego replied. She wasn't about to give the civic secret of Go City away just yet. Instead, she continued to look at Kim. _God damn, she's cute_, she thought, and Kim blushed, which made Shego wonder if she'd spoken aloud accidentally like Kim had earlier.

Kim gave no indication of it, though. "What?" she asked, almost defensively.

"What what?"

"You're staring at me…"

"Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"Y—…N—…Can I not answer?" Kim asked, her face only turning redder.

Shego grinned evilly. Then, without warning, she lowered her head and kissed Kim.

Kim's brain nearly exploded as she felt Shego's lips against her own, but she managed, somehow, to maintain the structural integrity of her skull. After a few seconds passed she simply closed her eyes and melted into the embrace, returning the kiss with the same amount of passion Shego was putting into it.

Shego was too busy feeling Kim to even feel victorious. She noted how soft Kim's lips were; she'd expected it, to some extent, but the reality blew away any sort of expectation she may have carried into this. Her free hand stroked Kim's torso, and Kim could feel the heat of her touch through the thin material of her shirt; Shego slid that hand under the shirt's hem and Kim moaned gently into the kiss as Shego touched bare skin. The combination of gentleness and warming heat was heavenly.

Kim's mind finally woke out of its stupor, but instead of being surprised or disgusted, she was excited. Shego was far from rough; her kiss was gentle and tender, and her lips felt to Kim like they barely existed, they were so soft. She put her arms around Shego's neck to keep her close, caressing Shego's lustrous black hair.

The two continued the kiss eagerly; at one point one of the two surprised the other by licking at her lips. Shego accepted the invitation eagerly, opening her mouth slightly to let Kim's tongue inside. She almost couldn't believe Kim was being that forward, but then she remembered the "Kim Thing": When Kim was going to do something, it was going to get done, come hell or high water. Their tongues tangled, and this time each female moaned as the delicious contact only riled them up even further.

Shego shifted herself more on top of Kim so she could use both hands, and lifed the redhead's shirt high enough to be able to touch all of Kim's ribcage. She probed every inch of Kim's skin that she could, feeling the taut musculature that she'd encountered so many times in the past, the frame that, while lithe, hid some serious strength of its own. Kim had never truly defeated her; of course, she had never truly defeated Kim, either. None of that mattered at the moment, though. Right now, Kim was all hers, willingly so, and Shego was going to demonstrate to Kim just how much she appreciated that.

Kim was feeling adventurous; if it weren't for the fact that she was kissing someone, it would almost feel like the budding excitement of a mission. But she _was _kissing someone, Shego in fact, and it was…thrilling. Still, it _was _Shego, and—

_Bah. Stop with the thinking and keep going with the kissing, _Kim ordered herself. She slid her hands around Shego's back and ran them under the other woman's shirt in turn, getting a good feel of the wonderful skin awaiting her touch. She yanked the fabric higher, which Shego obeyed by lifting herself slightly so the article of clothing could make it past her breasts.

They eventually had to break the kiss out of a need for air; things were getting hot and heavy enough that they were panting by the time they separated. Kim's lips were tingling as she stared straight up into Shego's emerald eyes. "Wow," she breathed.

Shego grinned again. "Told you you wanted to kiss me," she said smugly.

"Yeah…" Kim concurred, her voice almost dreamy. "Yeah, I guess I did."

They were silent for a few more minutes, though they did continue to do some minor exploration of skin—something of a comical sight, as both women had their shirts up to about the level of their collarbones. They were lost in each others' gazes, as corny as it might have sounded to either of them ten minutes ago, and yet thoroughly enjoying that state of being. Their touches weren't erotic anymore; curious, perhaps, but there was no diving into cleavage, nor were there attempts at exploring down pants. Both Kim and Shego were simply getting to know the texture of each other, discovering how each reacted to various areas of skin and different pressures of touch.

It was a very good thing, Kim decided lazily, that she was so attracted to Shego. Otherwise her current situation might be considered by some to be _quite _awk-weird. After all, here she was, practically sucking the face off of the one woman she used to consider her biggest rival. Granted, Shego'd just said she was retiring from the criminal life. Still, for the practically-overnight switch from fisticuffs to fancying, it was a bit…sudden.

A small part of Kim's mind denied that last idea, insisting that it had known for quite some time this was going to happen. _After all,_ it said, _remember Miss Go? You totally liked her—_liked_ her liked her. Besides, we knew even before that. Remember getting stuck in that vent with her ages ago? You really wanted to kiss her then, too. You just didn't think of it at the time, but _I _knew_.

Shego was watching Kim start to space out. She figured Kim was grappling with the implications of the last five or so minutes. After all, Miss Priss probably considered herself straighter than an arrow, and yet here she was snogging another chick. She considered leaving Kim to her thoughts, but decided against it—hey, she wasn't quite reformed yet. She still had some mischief to wreak.

Shego danced her fingers up along Kim's side, causing the redhead to shiver as the feather-light touches came to the very threshold of tickling but didn't quite cross over. Shego leaned in for another kiss, this one markedly less chaste, as their tongues sought each other from the outset. Shego watched as Kim's eyes fluttered closed before she made her move, sliding her hand across Kim's firm stomach and up and under her bra. She made it around the handful of flesh and Kim moaned deeply into her mouth, but then her eyes flew open and she pulled away from the kiss.

"Shego!" she hissed as the other woman's hand withdrew from her clothing.

"Hmm?" Shego replied lazily.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kim's voice was a harsh whisper, almost as if she were afraid Isabel was going to wander in at precisely the wrong moment.

"Copping a feel," she replied, somewhat brazenly. "Oh, and having the greatest sex of my life."

"What?" Kim asked, shocked. Her blush was back and in full force.

"You asked what I _thought _I was doing, not what I was really doing," Shego teased. "You can't tell me you never fantasize."

She laughed while Kim sputtered; short-circuiting the younger girl's brain was going to be one of her new favorite pastimes. In the back of Shego's mind, though, she knew the inevitable Kim-angst was going to come sooner or later, which did kind of put a damper on the mood.

Kim finally settled on a glare, which she leveled at Shego as she returned to her lying position on the bed. She didn't make any move to get away, though, which Shego took as something of a good sign.

The part-time adventurer heaved a heartfelt sigh as she regarded the ceiling. Inside, she was torn; if the last few minutes were any indication, she was ready, willing, and able to just fling both clothes and caution to the wind and have a romp with Shego in the bed. That, however, wasn't what was worrying her; nor was it the possibility of Isabel interrupting their time together. What bothered her was, well, reality. Here she was, practically-world-famous teen hero and role model extraordinaire, ready to have hot lesbian sex with her…former?…arch-nemesis. What would that do to her image? Would people ever trust her again? Would she still be called on to save the world? Would she even be called on to pull cats out of trees, or babysit children? Would she still have her life the way she wanted it, the way she liked it? Or would all of that go down in flames when people decided she was such an abomination that they would have nothing to do with her?

Kim realized, in her inner turmoil, that she hadn't once thought of not being with Shego. The revelation stunned her slightly, since she hadn't thought they were even involved. She guessed, now, that that was one reality that wasn't going to change, which struck her as slightly strange. After all, it had taken Kim how many years to even consider going out with Ron? And he'd been her best friend since they were four years old. That, undoubtedly, had been what triggered the demise of their more intimate relationship, she figured; just as she'd explained to Shego, she thought of Ron more as a brother than as lover material. And she'd had crushes aplenty throughout high school, Eric the Syntho-drone among them.

She thought back on that incident. She'd been extremely upset, such that she'd actually told Shego she hated her. She'd kicked the then-thief into a tower, nearly frying her; she recalled Shego looking like she came out of an electrical socket when they loaded her into the jail truck. Kim herself had been morose for days afterward; she had thought at the time that it was because she'd given into her violent emotions and nearly killed her, but now she realized it was more because of the declaration of hate than anything else. She'd been unquestionably relieved the next time they'd had to stop Drakken, and there was Shego, looking good as new and apparently not so bothered by their last meeting.

Discontent bubbled up in Kim now. She turned her view to see Shego watching her with interest in her jade-green gaze.

Kim made up her mind. She had to ask, if only to get it out of the way. "Shego," she began seriously, "do you resent me?"

Shego blinked. "The fuck kind of question is that?"

"For like two years ago, with the tower and all that."

Shego rolled her eyes; it was looking like Kim was indeed having pangs of conscience over the two of them. "No. Why would I?" She figured Kim would have used a "yes" answer as an excuse to jump away—not that she was being dishonest with her answer anyway.

"Because I told you then that I hated you," Kim replied.

Shego snorted. "Kim, you've met my mother."

"Uh…yeah," Kim said, a bit confused as to the non sequitur.

"Did you feel like she understood your life story while you stood on the porch earlier?"

"Yeah…kinda."

A corner of Shego's mouth turned up. "My mother, damn her soul, is an expert at reading people. You can't lie to her, except maybe over the phone or something else impersonal, because she can read body language and all that. Now, who do you think taught me how to fight?"

Recognition slowly dawned in Kim's eyes. "So you mean—"

"I mean I know you were all charged up that night," Shego answered with a nod. "And since I had to keep an eye on you afterward, I know that you felt bad about it, too, which is why I never held it against you. Everyone slips."

"Thanks, I—wait. You spied on me?"

"Doy," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Dr. D sent me over a lot to see if I could find out your secret."

"My secret?" Kim echoed.

"Yeah, he thought you had your own base or lair or something stupid like that," she said, flipping a hand. "Anyway, I won't say it wasn't a big deal—that hurt like a _bitch_—but I forgave you for it a long time ago."

"You did?" Kim was shocked. She didn't even think Shego was capable of being the bigger person back then.

"Yes, Princess," Shego replied, sounding exasperated. "Look, Kimmie, I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition—"

"Nobody expects it!" Kim giggled, and Shego half-smiled in response; apparently Kim wasn't as sheltered as she had thought. For her part, Kim was relishing her current experience so much that she was tempted to just say fuck it in regards to what other people thought. She liked being with Shego, counted the pale woman as a good friend—_maybe more_, that same small part of her mind added in—and she hoped that she could be as much of an influence on her as she was on Kim; her own little bout of apathy had surprised her slightly, but a growing part of her was asking for one time to think of herself first, one thing to make _Kim _happy instead of everyone else in the universe.

"Anyway," Shego continued, "I hope you're through your little crisis of conscience or whatever it is that made you all quiet for the last few minutes, 'cause there's something I want to tell you."

"Like what?" the smaller girl asked.

Shego beckoned with a finger, and Kim leaned closer. Shego put her lips right next to her ear. Kim felt her pulse quicken as she felt the other woman's breath on the side of her face.

A low rumbling sound accompanied Shego's whispered words: "I'm_really _fucking hungry."

Kim dissolved into the worst giggle fit she'd had in months.

* * *

After some quick rearranging of clothing, the two meandered to the kitchen. They made sandwiches; Kim had yet to eat anything, either, as she'd practically forsaken breakfast in favor of packing. The early morning seemed like it was days ago, what with all that had happened in the last eight hours.

That thought jogged something in Kim's brain. "Hey, Shego," she asked in between bites, "you and Drakken never tried to hit up like an Air Force base or anything, right?"

Shego paused right before she was about to bite down, snapping her mouth closed so she wouldn't look like an idiot while she thought. She put the sandwich down. "I don't think so," she said, shaking her head. "I know we tried to hit up a couple Army bases—remember Dr. D's pathetic poodle?" She grinned. "Anyway, I don't think we ever had a need; he always had his own hovercraft and all that stuff."

"Okay…" The answer, of course, did nothing to ease Kim's curiosity.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because of the ride I got coming here," she answered. "A vee-tol jet landed in my backyard, but it was all secret-project looking. And I don't remember ever doing a mission for the Air Force, either."

"What's veetle?"

"Vertical take off and landing, I think," Kim answered. "Like that whatsit the British have…the Harrier, I think?"

"Hmm." Shego pondered for a second. Then she remembered something. "Wait. Mommy said she put in the request for you, didn't she?"

"Yeah…why?"

Shego's face darkened as she angered. "You're not the only one people owe favors, Kimmie," she said, somewhat cryptically.

Kim frowned. "I don't—wait. You mean your mother called that fighter in?"

"That's exactly what I mean. Dammit! Why doesn't she believe I can handle myself?"

"I don't doubt you can," added a new voice from a doorway. Isabel walked into the kitchen, smiling softly at her daughter. Kim was once again struck by just how closely Shego resembled her mother. After all, Isabel had a similar facial structure, the same long, lustrous black hair, an eerily similar figure; she even walked the same as Shego. _Or maybe it's that Shego walked just like her…? _Kim thought. About the only real differences were the lack of green skin and the fact that Isabel's face was slightly lined with age.

Isabel stopped across the table from them. "I know you can take care of yourself, firefly," she said, and Kim saw Shego wince at the nickname. "But I also knew that even you would have a hard time taking out things like those. _I'd _have a hard time taking down things like those, and I don't have your advantages."

"Mrs. Go," Kim began, "that ride that I had here earlier—was that something you did?"

"Absolutely, dear," she said. "It was the quickest way to get you to where you needed to be."

"But then, how did Wade do it?" she asked, confused. She wasn't even ready to approach _how _Isabel knew anyone that highly-placed in the military.

"He didn't," Isabel answered. "When I contacted your service, I directed the jet to your home—and made sure to have him broadcast as friendly for your computer friend. I did, after all, tell him the ride would be forthcoming so he wouldn't have to worry about finding one."

"Amazing," Kim said simply, and Shego frowned again.

"Don't encourage her," she said.

Isabel smiled. "I'm in no need of encouragement." She turned back to Shego. "Believe it or not, I have _some _faith in you," she said. "I just decided to make your job a little easier out there. You still wore yourself out; imagine what it would have been like without Miss Possible."

"Call me Kim."

"Don't do that," Shego teased. "Call her Princess, or Kimmie, or Pumpkin or Cupcake or 'Hey, you!'"

"Shego!" Kim protested while the older woman grinned. She delivered a weak shove to Shego's shoulder.

"Now, firefly," Isabel tsked.

"Dammit, Mommy, don't call me that!"

Kim giggled, and Shego shot her a glare. "You're just lucky I don't remember what your mom called you," she growled.

That shut Kim up. Her old nickname was…embarrassing. Wait, scratch that; it was crawl-under-a-rock-and-die mortifying.

Isabel raised an eyebrow. "You've met her mother?"

Shego nodded. "Yeah, once, a long time ago, while I was still working for Dr. D. It was…oh, right! It was Mother's Day, and 'Drewbie's' mom came along for the ride during one of his stupider schemes." She laughed loudly. "I still remember hearing him going on about 'another lippy Possible!' because she wouldn't let him finish his godawful puns."

Kim nodded as she recalled the incident. It _had _been fun, she admitted.

"Well," Isabel said as she imagined the scene, "that sounds amusing enough. But I must be going; I'm glad you're awake again, my dear; and Kimmie," she grinned when the hero blushed, "make sure you take care of my daughter." That being said, she left.

"Old bat," Shego muttered when her mother was safely out of earshot. "What the hell does she think she's saying, have you take care of me?"

Kim recovered enough to shrug. "I don't know. But I wouldn't think too much on it; it's a mom thing."

"You don't know my mother yet," Shego said tiredly. "If she says that, she means it. I literally don't know what the hell she's talking about, though."

Kim picked up the last bit of her sandwich. "Food now, thinking later," she decided simply. Shego concurred, and they finished lunch in silence.

* * *

A/N: Okay, seems like an awkward ending, but as stated before, this was long enough and any more would only make a chapter break in another awkward spot, or nonexistent as this chapter would continue for pages and pages and pages. Can't keep everyone waiting that long, though. 


	9. Chapter 9: Reviews, Previews, and More

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 9

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: I can only say it so many times before it gets old, you know?

* * *

"How does she always _do _that?" a whiny voice complained.

The owner of the voice in question was watching a video feed. This video feed was relaying the events of earlier in the day, wherein a trio of giant mutant killer cyborg rats were interrupted in their rampaging through the northern section of Go City by a certain teen hero. As an unwelcome surprise addition, another well-acquainted figure was spotted helping said hero out by flinging green plasma around like it was going out of style. As the watcher continued to observe, the hero climbed the back of one of the GMKCRs and attached something to its cybernetic implants, which promptly fried the rat's brain, and those of its companions when they wandered in closer. As they began to topple three large plasma blasts knocked the rats over backwards, where they collapsed atop the ruins of the city they'd already destroyed.

The watcher grumbled. "Kim Possible," he spat, "you think you're all that, but _you're not_…"

"That's so sad!" wailed a female voice from behind him. "Why'd she have to do that to them? They were so _cute!_"

"They were the perfect tools of destruction, yes," the first watcher agreed. "At least they were based off rats, which are easy to obtain…"

"Now, now," a third voice, if possible even more annoying that the first, broke in, "Dementor, Amy, I know this is something of a setback, but if there's one thing I've learned over the years against the cheerleader, it's patience."

Professor Dementor—whose first name was, indeed, Helmut, though he took great pains to hide the fact—and DNAmy frowned at the first voice. "Drakken," Dementor growled, "if you're so convinced these will stop her, why haven't they yet?"

"Because the first designs are always tests," Dr. Drakken replied seriously. "We refine our plans with gathered data until they become as fool-proof as we can make them. If they fail again, we gather more data, do more refining, and try again."

Dementor was privately a tad stunned at the transformation Drakken had undergone. After the last time Kim Possible had thwarted his plan for world domination, Drakken had escaped, of course, but he'd returned without Shego in tow. He'd acted like normal for weeks until hitting on another idea for world conquest. After all, he'd reasoned, sure, there were six-billion-plus humans on the earth, but what about all the other animal types? If they could be made man-sized or bigger and controlled, he'd have an unbeatable superweapon with which to take over the world! The only problem he'd seen with his plan was in making them controllable—and resistant to attempts to stop them.

He'd gone to DNAmy with his plan first, as they'd worked together in the past. She had cheerfully agreed to play along again; Drakken had supposed that for her, any opportunity to show off her "mad gene-splicing skillz" would be enough to get her to sign on, and he'd been correct. She, of course, was responsible for practically fire- and heat-proofing the rats' fur.

Dementor had been a tougher sell, if at least because of his and Drakken's rivalries in the past, arguments over who was the greater genius, and all that. Drakken, however, had been very convincing with his argument that regardless of who was better, being rid of Kim Possible was a goal worthy of cooperation. Once she was out of the way and unable to stop them, well, _then _they could get around to whipping out their…ray-guns.

After another couple of weeks of collaboration they'd decided to test the rats out in a location they knew it'd take Kim some time to get to. They'd started at the northern outskirts of Go City, where Drakken had zapped the three mutant killer cyborg rats with a reverse-engineered (in the literal sense—it was built backwards) shrink ray. It had worked as advertised, and the rats exploded to their sixty-foot height. The sheer mass involved meant the rats were easily able to move around on only two feet instead of all fours, and they began knocking buildings over, delighting the villainous trio.

Then something rained on their parade—well, some_one_, who rained with disastrous green plasma fire. From their remote observation post—another idea of Drakken's; after all, why be present in person, and be able to be defeated/arrested, when you could watch from afar and be insulated from such catastrophes?

Drakken had watched with mild interest as Shego attempted to beat back the rats; the other two supervillains watched both the scene and him, to see if he'd snap or something, but he merely kept his attention on the monitors, tiny ­gloved hands posed in front of his face, fingertips touching. Dementor and DNAmy found it…rather creepy that he could hold himself together so well. Privately, Dementor figured it had something to do with Shego's absence; the woman often kept Drakken off-balance with her sarcastic comments on the viability of his plans.

Then Kim Possible had shown up on the feed, and they watched the two women dismantle the GMKCRs with ease, right up to the feed going to static when the electrical discharge fried the circuitry.

All three could hardly believe their eyes; sure, Shego hadn't been in on the plan, so seeing her resist it made _some _sense, especially when it looked like she was threatened. However, seeing the cheerleader swoop in and _save _her rival, then come back with her and work together…_that_ was, if possible, even creepier than Drakken's apparent calm.

A calm which he continued to exhibit even now, in spite of the oddness. "So," he continued, "what did we learn from this experiment?"

"The rats could use some insulation from electricity," Amy ventured. "Maybe I can make them docile and yet intelligent and we won't need the metal bits."

Dementor had to grudgingly agree with her assessment, much as it pained him. "Ja, Frau Amy," he said. "Unfortunately, as much as my creations could add, I suppose they can also be easily pre-empted by her technical friend. About all I can think of is placing the implants below the surface."

Drakken nodded. "A conclusion I would support. I believe we are on the right track, my evil friends, and that the doom of Team Possible is on the horizon. We need only to make our plans more foolproof and we will succeed."

Dementor raised an issue that had been bothering him. "What about the buffoon? His presence seems to enable Possible."

Drakken grinned evilly. "He is of no concern to us; Fiske is keeping him busy with his relentless pursuit of that 'mystical monkey mastery,' which is an added bonus."

"You mean that wasn't part of your plan?" Dementor asked incredulously. This would be the first time in the history of the universe, he suspected, that luck was actually _favoring _Drakken.

The blue inventor shrugged. "I had figured him into the current plan, but if he's not there, so much the better."

The three settled down to plan, plot, and otherwise contemplate world domination. It still weirded Amy and Dementor out, how…_evil_Drakken was being, but they didn't question it much more. No need, after all, to look a gift inventor in the mouth.

* * *

The last time Kim Possible felt this nervous, it was the beginning of high school when she tried to ask Josh Mankey to the dance. Back then, her tongue had simply turned into a lump of junk in her mouth as her brain failed her; today, she felt like her guts were going to quiver themselves to jelly before she even made it another ten feet.

She sighed and readjusted her backpack, trudging across the campus of Go University to the building marked for her first class on her schedule. _A composition class, first thing in the morning,_ she grumped to herself. _And here I thought I was supposed to be smart._

In the two days since her little adventure in Go City, Kim had managed to return home; load all her stuff into her car; cart it over to the dorms at Go U; unpack and arrange so the room already looked lived-in; obtain her schedule; map out the most efficient path between buildings for the limited amount of time between classes on her packed schedule; buy her books; get a map of convenient locations nearby for various activities such as studying, coffee drinking, more studying, browsing books, studying again, and doing more studying; and save the world twice. She'd managed, in true college fashion, to get about four hours of sleep, which meant she woke up this morning in not the greatest of moods. She hadn't had the time or energy to see anyone at all, except for her rides for missions, and found herself missing Ron and the crew from high school and her parents and even the Tweebs and Shego…

The last person on that list would have surprised her a month ago, even a couple of weeks ago, but now…well, now she counted Shego as a friend, a very _good _friend if their activities of two days previous were taken into consideration. She still wasn't entirely convinced that she saw the greenish woman in that kind of light—at least, while she had her wits about her, which had conveniently gone on vacation as soon as Shego had locked lips with her the first time. Still, Kim tried to keep herself rational about the whole situation; maybe it was just a fling, or maybe it was a really involved way for Shego to tease her in some way again. Maybe, just maybe, she was being genuine in her declaration of affection…but Kim wasn't so sure she would, _could_, return it. After all, as she'd noted to herself at the time, girls didn't do it for her at all, even still. To prove that point to herself, she forced herself to stare at a random girl walking in the other direction but situated far enough away that Kim's gaze was unlikely to attract unwanted attention. She tried to note bits of the other girl that guys probably found attractive, but while she couldn't deny her attractiveness, it also did nothing to arouse her in any way. She was perfectly capable of admitting that girls could look attractive without actually _finding_them attractive; how often had she complimented, say, Monique for looking drop-dead gorgeous in Club Banana attire? And while she couldn't deny what she'd felt at the time—the way that she'd lazily decided Shego was the hottest thing she'd ever seen, even beating out Eric the Syntho-drone—she wasn't sure if that was real or from the heat of the moment. After all, Shego _was _a fantastic kisser…Kim didn't notice, but her face had gone red again from the memory.

Kim's ruminations nearly carried her past her intended hall; they would have, had she not distractedly nearly run into someone walking across her path, startling her back into reality. Mumbling an apology, she glanced at her surroundings and noted with some surprise that she'd made it, and with a minute to spare. She dashed inside, noted with some dismay that her class was all the way up on the third floor, and took the stairs three at a time, an impressive feat for someone her size. She made it to her seat with seconds to spare, and a spare thought ran through her head as she dug out the requisite textbook and notebook.

_Reminds me of dashing into Barkin's classes after missions…_

* * *

Shego stretched, feeling a few of her vertebrae pop as she relinquished her hunched-over posture and bent backwards to work out some kinks in her back. She held the pose for a few seconds before exhaling in a rush and coming back to normal, inspecting her handiwork.

She'd been parked in front of a chest. Said chest was bolted to the floor thanks to a pair of metallic straps attached to both sides of the chest and four industrial-sized hex-headed bolts, each a good two inches thick and probably eight or ten inches long, blasted down into the concrete itself. Nothing short of an earthquake—_Or Hego,_ her mind added with a twinge of amusement—was going to free that chest from its position.

The reason Shego had been crouched down in front of it laid spread on the floor to her right. Her old lock-picking equipment was unrolled, and one of the specialized tools was missing from the small leather roll. She replaced the one she held as she gazed at the lock in question. It was now open, but she'd been working it for a good twenty or so minutes. After all, being the best entailed both doing it quickly and with inflicting the least amount of extra damage. One of the talents of being a thief was being able to leave everything exactly as you found it—except, of course, for what was pilfered—so as to delay the recognition that something bad happened.

She rolled up her picks and velcroed it shut, replacing it in her ankle pouch. She was clad once again in her trademark catsuit, her frame folded neatly into the small space. Her long, green-tinged black hair spilled out behind her, effectively rendering her nearly invisible in the darkness of the room, darkness that was suddenly spoiled when she stood up and the lights flicked on.

"Chest's open," she called out to, apparently, no one. It felt strange, she reflected, as she was accustomed to making absolutely no noise, so advertising her success—and in a loud voice, no less—ran contrary to all her normal thieving instincts. However, in this instance, she was quite proper in ignoring those instincts, as a door to her left opened and her father walked through, a troubled expression on his face.

"Twenty-two minutes and seventeen seconds," Kane said as he made it through the door. "While I'm proud of you for breaking every other recorded attempt, it's still…unsettling, I suppose."

"That's why I'm the best," she responded with a cheeky grin. "And don't worry. I can tell you four ways to improve it while keeping it strictly mechanical that would mean I couldn't get the thing to open."

Kane raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Hey, that's why I'm here," she responded. She left out her private addendum: _I couldn't get it open _as quickly_, that is_.

Kane smiled. "That's my girl. You know, I really appreciate you helping soup up my system prototypes."

Shego shrugged uncomfortably. "You're my dad, and like Mommy said, I gotta start pulling my weight somehow if I'm gonna lay low for a while."

Her father's smile turned knowing. "And you don't really want to stay here, I can tell," he continued. "And I won't keep you doing this, either. But really, it may be a field for you to look into, you know." He gave a light chuckle when she shrugged noncommittally. "Or you could go back to just plain taking things, I suppose."

Her uncomfortable look returned. "I don't know what to do, Daddy," she sighed. She hated showing her uncharacteristic sides, like her mushy side that she still had yet to reveal to Kim, or this indecisive, almost whiny side that she was displaying to her father…but he _was _her father, and he'd already seen all the sides to here there were to see. "I liked what I did. I liked being able to show people up, prove that just because their nut is tough to crack doesn't mean it's uncrackable. But…over the last few weeks it's felt like…I don't know, blah. I have this feeling, like if I even try, I'll get bored with the attempt ten seconds in and screw up and get in trouble…but if I stop, what happens to my reputation? The world sees Shego, villain sidekick and master thief extraordinaire, go soft and weak and retired. And then what do I do, knit?"

Kane laughed, the sound booming through the smallish room thanks to his barrel chest. "Cassie, I don't think I'll ever see you knit. You'll be a hundred years old and still climbing over buildings like you were a teenager, I'm sure. As for what to do now…well, did you ever consider talking with your little red-haired friend?"

Shego shifted. "A bunch of times. But I really don't want to get back into the hero thing. You remember how it was with Hego and all that?"

"Of course I do," he replied. "To this day he maintains that you left the team just because you didn't get to be in charge." He shook his head. "From an outside point of view, I think it was really the both of you at fault—and your other brothers didn't help much, either."

Shego blinked. "My fault? How was it _my _fault that Hego was an arrogant, insensitive, stubborn, know-it-all prick who decided that it was going to be his vision of being a super group or nothing at all, and if you didn't like it, tough?"

Kane smiled wryly. "It's your fault, only partially, because at least two of those adjectives could apply to your own self, and you know it. Oh," he continued amiably, ignoring her angry expression, "I know that your brother really fancies himself as a big shot, and I know how much it rankled the rest of you, but your mother and I were very proud of you all while you stuck together. And yet when you left, well, neither your mother nor I could really blame you. You wanted to be your own person and not conform to Phillip's routine. While we might not appreciate the path you chose, at least you were doing something to further yourself, to make yourself better in some way." His smile returned, without the irony this time. "If your performance from the other day is any indication, I'd say your current problem is you got what you needed out of your old profession, and now you need to try something new, or to try to apply yourself in a slightly different manner."

Shego couldn't help but stare at Kane. She couldn't remember the last time he'd seemed that…profound. And while he wasn't saying anything earth-shattering or life-changing, she certainly wasn't accustomed to him sounding exactly _wise_ in any sense, either. Sure, he was her father, but…he was so _goofy _sometimes. Make that most of the time. Kinda like Kim's friend, the buffoon, she reflected.

"You know," she said softly, "I think you may have something there, Daddy. I mean, yeah, you're right, Hego's power tripping ruined Team Go for me, even more than the concept of being a superhero could have." She shrugged. "And I _did _tell Kimmie that I wouldn't do the hero thing again…but that doesn't mean I have to be, well, evil, either."

"See? I told you you were bored by it."

"Mostly Drakken ruined it for me, just like Hego did," she complained. "Why do I always have to end up working with the most incompetent people in the things I do?"

Kane raised an eyebrow. "You think even Ms. Possible is incompetent?"

"No!" Shego exclaimed, a light blush tinting her cheeks a deeper green. "Fuck, if anything, she's the exact opposite. The problem is…I can't do what she does."

"Save the world? Cassie, you just did a few months ago, much as it may pain you to admit."

"I know, Daddy," Shego growled. "I know that I _can_. That it's possible. And it was fun at the time. But…she's so selfless about it, and I can't do that."

Her father nodded in understanding. "The self-sacrificing aspect is not a part of everybody," he said. "Your mother and I are perfect examples of that, if you want to look outside yourself. It takes a special kind of person to do what Ms. Possible does."

"I know…" Shego actually looked downcast. Mentally she was fearing she'd never be able to _really _connect with Kim, to be more than just a good acquaintance or friend.

Kane saw that look and knew instantly what was preying on her mind. "And you think you aren't good enough for that kind of person," he said softly, gently.

His daughter stared at the floor, silent, before nodding once.

"Cassie, you have to remember the past, not just worry about the future. In the last few months, from what I've heard from your mother about your adventures, you've tried to assist that blue fellow in his plans twice, decided he wasn't worth the time it took you to pick your nose"—Shego couldn't help but grin at the off-color joke—"and managed to help Ms. Possible in eliminating a serious threat to this very city—for which we're all very grateful, mind you." He stepped forward and put a hand on Shego's shoulder. Despite his being shorter than she was, she still felt like he was the biggest, most stable rock in the universe, even at her twenty-three years of age. "As unsure as you are right now, which is very unlike you, you have to remember that if nothing you've done so far has scared her off, or made her think less of you, or anything, then you have not much to fear. In fact, I'd wager there's not much in the future you could do to do that, either."

"You really think so?"

Kane had to grin. "I know so. After all, your mother and I are still together, in spite of our _completely _different approaches to certain problems, right?"

Shego chuckled. She knew her lifestyle was something of a blend of her parents'; Kane tended to take the subtle, almost manipulative approach, whereas Isabel would simply force her way to a solution, and if she got to knock a few heads around, so much the better. Of course, either was _capable _of doing things the other's way, they just preferred their own. The meeting Kane had had a couple of mornings ago, for example, had led to him slamming his hands on his conference table when the customers began to bicker and complain about inconsequential nothings. The table itself had nearly upended, spilling their coffees and leading to his comment that day about cleaning up their messes. Normally he enjoyed smooth-talking them until they realized he was right. Shego had both her mother's hammer and her father's lathe in her tools of trade, able to verbally convince some and physically intimidate others as the situation demanded.

"Right," she agreed with a sigh. "So…you think I have a chance?"

"You always have a chance. Sometimes you just have to manufacture it," he said with a wink.

"Thanks, Daddy," she said, feeling a lot better now than she had for the last day and some. A thought struck her. "I'm actually going to go out for a while," she continued. "I'll be back later." She left without even waving, and Kane smiled at her back.

_She's got that look back in her eye. Damned if she's not going to get what she wants…and that's my girl._

* * *

Kim nearly sagged in relief as she finished her last class of the day. Much as graduating high school had felt like the end of an era, she was really only now realizing that it was the _beginning _of the end. And that was if she settled for only a bachelor's degree, which she highly doubted, given her family.

_Still, finishing classes at five in the afternoon? SO not doing that anymore after this semester_.

Kim was feeling pretty normal, educational exhaustion aside, after she'd spent her first few classes convincing herself that she really wasn't all that confused about her and Shego anymore. Nope, Shego was just a really good friend. That was a strange enough metamorphosis for her former nemesis, but at least she could cope with it. The alternative was…well, she lacked the mental energy to deal with it right now. Besides, so what if Shego'd kissed her, right? It was no big. Kim used to kiss her mother all the time when she was younger. Even if she didn't anymore…well, girls were still supposed to be more affectionate than boys. Or at least less afraid of showing it, right?

She pushed the mental discussion away as she trudged toward her dormitory. Lots of people were milling around out front, more so than usual, and something in Kim clicked. She jogged up to the people at the fringe of the crowd. "Hey, what's the sitch?" she asked as she neared a guy who was shaking his head at the place with his arms crossed.

"Huh? Who're you?" he asked, looking somewhat confused.

"I'm Kim Possible. I'm a freshman here," she answered.

"Oh. Well, from what I heard, something's up with the locks on all the doors in the dorm. At least, all the outside doors."

"What do you mean, something's up?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I only got here a few minutes ago, so I don't know many details. Just that none of us can get in, and even the RA's keys aren't working."

Kim was starting to have a bad feeling, but she still nodded in understanding. "Thanks." She stepped past him, determined to weave her way through the crowd.

_There are times_, she reflected as she threaded between knots of chattering students and individuals waiting to get back inside, _that being only a few inches over five feet tall is something of an advantage_. Her diminutive stature was allowing her to avoid too much attention as she ducked and dodged around people; her cheerleading- and world-saving-honed athleticism meant she barely even came into contact with people.

Eventually she made it to the front of the pack, and what she saw proved her informant correct; several people were clustered specifically around the doors, two of whom had a key ring in their hand. The rest were conversing heatedly about something, and one had his phone out, presumably to call the police.

Kim frowned briefly. Their presence blocked her view of the doors themselves, so she couldn't see what had actually taken place, but that didn't matter for now; if the doors were jammed shut, that logically meant two things: either there was a bomb inside, which was unlikely—and a bit stupid, in her opinion; who'd want to explode a college dorm?—or whomever had busted the locks was still inside.

She backed up a few steps, staring up at the edge of the roof as she slung her bag off her shoulder and rummaged around inside for a second. She came up with her trusty hair dryer grapple gun. A few students that saw her act chuckled at how silly she was, pulling a hair dryer out of her bag when they weren't anywhere near an outlet. Kim let them make fun of her, as she had more important things to do. She slung her bag back over her shoulder, took two careful steps back, aimed, and triggered the hook. With an explosive blast of compressed air the grapple shot from the nozzle and arced upward, the grapple's tines snapping out and locking into position a second after it cleared.

Gravity took over and pulled the grappling hook down, but not before it had easily cleared the edge of the roof. The motor in the dryer engaged, dragging the rope back inside until the hook caught on the edge of the roof. Sensing the tension, the motor stopped, waiting Kim's command to begin to retract again.

The students immediately around Kim blinked in astonishment at the initial noise the dryer made, watching in stunned disbelief as something sailed up onto the roof and a line connecting them went taut. Kim flexed her legs and jumped, hitting the switch and beginning her ascent. As she rushed to the wall she bent her legs and hit, letting her knees and ankles absorb the impact. The dryer pulled her swiftly upward as she kicked off again, and at the top of her arc she flipped over the edge, giving her wrist a twist and releasing the grapple. It snapped back into the dryer and Kim checked back over the edge to make sure no one was going to either follow her or report her; those students that had been watching merely stared at her open-mouthed. She smiled prettily and waved before her "mission face" settled into position. She jammed the dryer back into her bag and went for the roof access door.

She nodded when she got there; that lock had been spared, apparently, since no one else would have thought of coming up there in the first place. It _was _a six-story dormitory, after all. She gave the handle a twist, only to find that the door was locked, but Kim, never one to let a small obstacle like that stop her, merely pulled her laser lipstick from the proper pocket on her backpack and flicked it on. She carved the door handle out of the door—she couldn't see a deadbolt in the doorframe—and gave it a kick when she was done. The door bounced off its jamb and swung open slightly, so she grabbed it and yanked it the rest of the way open.

The hallway beyond was dusty and lightly lined with spider webs along the ceiling, a sign that it hadn't been used in ages, which Kim supposed was a good thing—better than an emergency door be on the ground level than the roof, with no fire escape ladders of any sort. There wasn't even any machinery on the roof to justify the door being for mechanical use only. Kim supposed it was installed only to please the fire marshals.

She stepped in, allowing the door to swing closed behind her, and marched down the hallway, making no attempt to hide her presence. At the end of the hallway was another door, this one marked as access to the interior stairwell. She yanked it open and descended to her floor, where she booted _that _door open as well, after turning the handle of course. The narrow hallway, lined with doors to the students' rooms, was devoid of traffic, so Kim marched over to her door, intending to grab her battle suit just in case.

None of the doors showed any sign of forced entry, not even her own; she chuckled at her apparent paranoia. _Like I told Shego, if the bad guys didn't know I was coming here three days ago, how would they know now? I'd give them a month before I start to worry_…

She produced her room key from her backpack and unlocked the door, taking a step inside and locking it behind her—_just in case whoever's in here gets cute ideas about stalking me inside_. Cautiously she moved forward, eyes roving, scoping her room to make sure nothing screwy was going to happen.

It was big, for a dorm room; apparently Go U had some money to spend, and had seen to it that its students were actually comfortable. Kim had gotten a single, so she had the room all to herself, but there was enough living space to cram in three if they had the same relative as the sardine-can packing so common at most universities. She had a small, very small, but also very present, kitchenette, complete with two-burner stove and single-basin sink. It had its own bathroom, as well, though once again it was tiny; it still featured sink, toilet, and shower, though, so she couldn't complain. The place was littered with memorabilia from home, mostly, but also with quite a bit of little things she'd picked up on her mission over the four years previous. Like over on that windowsill, there were a handful of small stone statues that she'd collected as thank-you gifts after her last visit to India to stop Professor Dementor from assuming possession of the Taj Mahal and charging visitors exorbitant fees to see the landmark. It had been a screwy idea at the time, but she figured he'd been a bit light on cash and needed the boost…or something.

And over there, on either side of her computer monitor, were a pair of ornately-tied scrolls that she'd received during her last visit to Yamanouchi. Well, one was the actual scroll; the other was an English translation thoughtfully provided by Yori.

And there, sitting on the lone easy chair in Kim's dorm, was a Shego, clad in her familiar black-and-green checked catsuit, busily reading a magazine.

Kim's gaze snapped back to Shego as she almost continued her visual cataloging of items, interrupting her impromptu inventory. "Shego!" she squeaked, something in her abdomen giving a quick shiver at the sight of the raven-haired woman. In spite of her shock, Kim realized with a start that all her rationalizations from earlier in the day crumbled down into nothingness; even now, while surprised, she wanted to just melt into the other woman's arms.

"Hey, Princess," Shego said, snapping her magazine closed and looking up at Kim with a smirk. "Nice pad."

* * *

A/N: Chapter end. Initially part of one extra-extra-long chapter 9, I decided to split it up so I could actually update. Since it _is _a split, and I'm basically putting finishing touches on the second part, I'll update again in a day or two. 


	10. Chapter 10: Life, or Something Like It

Yet Another KiGo Fic! – Chapter 10

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Kim's not mine...Shego's not mine...Ron's not mine...Isabel's not mine…that's half the cast; do I really need to keep going?

I feel I should also warn that in here is where things start to actually earn that M rating; skip if uncomfortable or whatever. It also takes place immediately after Chapter 9.

* * *

"What the hell are you _doing _here?" Kim hissed—not out of anger, but out of fear. 

Shego shrugged, secretly impressed at Kim's swearing. "Had something to tell you, and I wanted it private."

"And you couldn't wait? Until tomorrow, or until I was away, or something?"

Another shrug came from the green-skinned woman. "Probably. I just wanted to share now. Why? Is that a bad thing?"

Kim sighed, exasperated. "Shego, _please _tell me you didn't jam all the locks in this place."

Shego blinked. "The locks are jammed? I just came in through your windows."

It was Kim's turn to blink. "So…you didn't, I don't know, melt the door locks or anything?"

"Oh, that?" Shego grinned. "Nah, not this time, though I have done it before." She held up a hand that was, strangely, missing its glove. "I'm a _bit _more versatile than that with these."

"Then…how'd you get in? This is the fifth floor; I know neither of us can jump that high."

Shego grinned. "Trick of the trade…but since I'm s'posed to be going legit, I guess I ought to tell you. Well, or show you." She stood and motioned for Kim to follow to the lone window for the room. Sliding it open, she said, "Go ahead and take a look outside."

Kim, eyeing Shego sideways, did as beckoned, leaning out the window to check the surroundings. She didn't notice any sort of climbing line, ladder, or other method of assistance, and the closest tree was simply too far away for its sturdier branches to give any real shot of jumping across. Kim ducked back inside and thought. "Where are your gloves?" she asked.

"Right here," Shego said, pulling them from inside the sleeves of her catsuit. "I almost wish this suit had pockets, aside from the ankle pouch, but since I'm usually _wearing _these it wasn't worth complaining about."

Kim snatched one away and inspected it, but could find nothing out of the ordinary for them—no suction of any sort, no hidden technology, nothing aside from the normal, thinnish, supple leather gloves Shego had sported for the entirety of the time Kim had known her.

She handed it back. "Okay, I'm—wait a second. You said your fingers…well, actually, I'm guessing your powers, are more versatile than what I'd seen." Her eyes widened. "You climbed the side of the building? What'd you do, melt hand and footholds?"

"And she gets it in one!" Shego crowed. "I always knew you were smarter than the rest, Pumpkin."

Kim smiled in spite of herself, but wiped it away quickly. She still had to at least appear disproving. "How long have you been here? I don't smell any burning brick or anything."

Shego's smirk made its triumphant return, and she leaned against the wall under the window, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's the beauty of it all. I have a secret for you, Kimmie. This used to be _my_ dorm room, way back in the day."

Kim blinked again. "You're joking," she said flatly. _Great…first the sight of her makes my brain take a hike, now I found out I'm sleeping in her old room. No more rest for me. _

Part of her mind countered that she'd be resting very well indeed—with some enticing dreams as part of the package.

"Nope, not this time," Shego replied, amused at Kim's reactions. Then she sobered. "And I'm also not joking when I tell you this. I decided today what I'm going to be doing."

"What you're going to be doing?" Kim echoed. "What are you talking about now?"

"Remember how I told you about dropping Drakken and all this evil stuff?" As Kim nodded, Shego continued. "I had a talk this afternoon with my dad of all people, and he, I think, hit the nail on the head. Why'd I stop with Drakken? It was boring."

"Boring?" Kim repeated. "But…what do you mean?"

"I mean, in Daddy's words, that I'd gotten as much out of it as I wanted, whether I knew it or not. Of course, having him leave me in that snow bank a few months ago didn't help his case much. And he treats me like crap most of the time while insisting I'm part of his little 'evil family.'" She waggled her fingers in the time-honored gesture of air-quotes, rolling her eyes for emphasis. Kim giggled. "What Daddy said was that I left Team Go because of…personality conflicts between me and Hego, though he wasn't so nice about it. He also figured I left being a villain, even being a thief, because I'd gotten what I wanted out of the life. That it was the back of my noggin telling me it was time to move on."

"Wow," Kim said, impressed. "What does he do, psychoanalyze people for a living?" She might have meant that as a joke, but when Shego appeared to give it some serious thought, she raised her own eyebrow.

"In a sense, I guess," Shego conceded. "He's a businessman, Kimmie. He designs and sells state-of-the-art security systems. And let me tell you, they're _damn _good. But why'd I say what I said? He's…manipulative about it. He can study a potential sale while in the office with them, figure out what they're looking for, what they stand for, and give it to them, or appeal to that ideal, or whatever. Now, he's not hypnotic or anything, he's just really good at what he does."

Kim listened with rapt attention. It wasn't often—hell, it wasn't _ever_—that she got to hear any real background from Shego. Or about her, for that matter. Hearing her talk about her family made Kim realize she was getting something special because Shego was opening up this way.

And, she abruptly realized, it meant Shego trusted her implicitly. Nothing Kim or Ron—or even Wade, for all his technological-guru-ness—had ever managed to dig up on Shego had even suggested she'd had surviving family, Team Go aside. Now, for Shego to not only divulge their existence, but to fill Kim in on what they meant to her, even in this indirect way…she felt humbled and special at the same time, which succeeded in making her affection grow for the green girl.

"Anyway, he suggested I try and think of a way to put what I know to use, in a different way. And I agree. Which is primarily what I wanted to tell you in private, because if this were public at _all_, word would get out. Stuff like that has a tendency to get out regardless of what you want it to do…and my reputation would die in a second."

Kim couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Shego," she said quietly.

"For what, Princess? I'm still not doing your hero thing," she warned, though with the way Kim looked at the moment, Shego would probably agree to that just to spend more time with the adorable redhead. _Yeah, I got it bad, _she thought with a mental sigh. _Real bad_.

"For telling me all of that," Kim answered, ignoring the second half of Shego's statement. "Shego, I didn't even know you had parents before dragging you home the other day, and now you mention this…I feel, I don't know, special that you decided I get to know."

_Oh great…_ "Come on, Pumpkin, don't get all mushy on me," Shego warned. "I can't _stand _mushy. Besides, my family's no big deal. You just never asked before."

Kim laughed lightly. "If I had, would you have told me anything?"

"No, but that's not the point," Shego protested weakly. "Before, we were enemies…why would you even bother asking? Now you're…you're…"

"My friend?" Kim finished softly for her.

Shego paused, her mouth open to say something else, but she closed it and smiled wryly. "Yeah. That."

Kim returned the small smile with one of her own, then stepped forward. She had pretty much conceded to herself for now that Shego was someone _very _special to her, and if anyone cared, then that was too damn bad—a marked departure from her normal social behavior—because Kim liked who she liked and there wasn't anyone who could change that. She walked right up to Shego, sliding her hands across the other woman's stomach and around behind her, pulling her into a tight hug and resting her chin on Shego's shoulder.

For her part, Shego wasn't entirely sure what caused the display of affection, but she wasn't one to give it up, especially as concerned as she had been earlier that it would be a passing thing for Kim. She unfolded her arms and wrapped them around Kim's shoulders, tightening her own grip on the redhead. She pressed her cheek into the top of Kim's head, feeling the softness of her hair, breathing deeply its scent, and in general thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the smaller body pressed against her.

They stayed that way for a couple of minutes until Shego leaned her head back to look Kim in the eye. Kim lifted her head off Shego's shoulder, and each one stared straight into the eyes of the other. Both nearly failed to realize that their heads were drifting closer together at a pace that made snails seem speedy and sloths, energetic; the feeling of breath on cheek made both realize what they wanted to do again; warring, confusing thoughts on rightness and propriety and decency were calmed as each female's gaze reassured the other that, whatever might come, this was something they both wanted. Kim, holding onto Shego's outfit, stood on her tiptoes and planted her lips right on Shego's, and she felt the ex-thief's hands tighten on her shoulders as she accepted the gift.

The kiss started life very sweetly, once again each of them marveling at the circumstances that brought them there—but only using a portion of their mental processing for that purpose. The rest of their minds were absorbed in how this felt—and how they could get more.

Kim released Shego's suit to slide her hands further around the other woman, pressing herself against Shego as she got her hands to her spine and tightened her arms. Their bodies thus pressed closer together than ever, Kim involuntarily released a moan at the contact, and Shego, encouraged by the noise, stroked Kim's lips with her tongue while doing the same to Kim's back with her hands. Kim opened her mouth to allow Shego entry, a move of which the dark-haired woman took full advantage, sliding her tongue in only to find Kim's imitating the action. They tasted each other fervently; Kim was almost shocked to discover that the inside of Shego's mouth was so soft. The last time they had kissed, Kim knew her mind had practically shut itself off, so she'd paid the feeling little notice then. Now, though, it was a different story. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Shego was someone very special, very dear to her. She'd almost call it love, except it seemed to lack something.

Shego was thoroughly enjoying herself at the moment. Having Kim's body pressed against hers, playing tonsil hockey with the teenaged heroine, she was transported to a place she'd never known before, a place that was decidedly unfamiliar, and yet she didn't want to leave, not now, not ever. She imitated Kim's earlier action by putting one hand along Kim's spine and pressing, but her other hand went to the back of Kim's head. She dared to open her eyes slightly for a second and was rewarded with seeing Kim's beautiful, angelic, rounded face, eyes squeezed tightly shut, that lustrous red hair spilling down over her shoulders. Shego closed her eyes in contentment again. Never, in a million years, would she have envisioned herself falling for _anyone_, much less a female, and a world-saving, cheerleading, goody-two-shoes one at that. She'd pretty much decided her life was her own after leaving her brothers and their idiotic team, which meant she didn't, wouldn't, _couldn't_ share it with anybody. And yet here she was, kissing Kim Possible, the aforementioned world-saving, cheerleading, goody-two-shoes teenage girl, and loving every second of it. Something had changed, obviously, which meant Shego felt not just able, but _willing_, to invite someone else in close, to share herself with that person wholly; Shego knew the final barrier had fallen in Drakken's last lair. She was at a loss to explain why, or how, but it _had_, and that was the important part, at least right now. She was absolutely taken by the red-headed woman in her arms. She'd almost call it love, except it seemed to lack something.

Neither was sure what was lacking, save for the fact that it wasn't there. Kim broke the kiss when she had to return to standing on her feet; her calves were starting to ache from being on her toes for so long. Again they stared into each other's eyes, pulses racing. Kim's face was flushed from the kiss, and she suddenly noticed the lack of extra heat from being pressed against Shego. She shivered slightly, a movement that Shego caught.

"Cold, Princess?" she asked quietly. Her voice was low, husky; she even seemed a tad breathless. Her fingers ached to be on the redhead's skin, touching and feeling and exploring. She wanted to make Kim feel the way she herself felt at that moment, the heat of her desire for Kim nearly all-consuming in its need to be whetted.

Kim shook her head, instead leaning forward until she rested against Shego once more. She turned her head to the side, resting her cheek against the pale woman's shoulder, and closed her eyes, bringing her hands up to clutch onto Shego's shoulders. "Not anymore," she breathed.

Shego couldn't help it; her eyes misted slightly with tears at Kim's statement and actions. _Don't do it don't do it don't do it,_ she warned herself, and to her credit she mostly succeeded; only a single tear rolled down her cheek, one she swiped away as quickly as she could. She also avoided sniffling. She didn't want to make Kim think anything was wrong, since nothing really _was _wrong, after all. Shego knew the whole situation was _right_, almost perfectly so, and it nearly scared her. She was _Shego_, trouble magnet, villainess, thief extraordinaire, and evil to boot…_Well, the last only sorta_, she corrected herself. Still, she wasn't supposed to have this kind of luck, to find someone who desired her, someone who, whether she tried to or not, made her feel like she was worth something to someone beyond what her skills could do for them.

She brought her hand up and stroked Kim's hair, laying her cheek on top of Kim's head. They stood that way for several minutes, Shego finally banishing the tears as she basked in the contented feeling of holding onto her Kimmie.

_Wait…where did the 'my' come from? _Shego frowned mentally at herself. _I know I have it bad for her, but we're hardly in a relationship…_That thought brought her up short. Did she really _want _to be stuck in a serious "thing" with Kim? After all, with their respective backgrounds, Shego knew herself to be hardly dating material, and Kim's shiny-white, ironclad morals would probably never allow her to debase herself to the level of someone like Shego, present actions notwithstanding.

Still, there _were _those same present actions to take into account, and Shego felt a small stirring of hope flutter in her chest. She didn't let it take over fully, though; still mostly a pragmatist at heart, she had a few things to make sure of first before she could give in to giddiness.

"Can we sit down, Pumpkin?" she asked quietly, and when Kim nodded Shego half-guided, half-carried her over to one of the few pieces of uncluttered furniture in the dorm, a well-used but still comfortable-looking easy chair. Shego settled herself into it, pulling Kim onto her lap so the slender hero could stay snuggled up. Shego couldn't help but smile at the situation; all those years of self-centered satisfaction working against the law had been dashed to pieces in the last few days, as Kim made her genuinely _happy_. She wasn't quite sure how, but it worked, and she hadn't felt something like this in such a long time that she'd almost forgotten it.

Again, though, she had to quietly push it to the side. Pressing matters demanded she address them first. "Kimmie," she began quietly, "why exactly did you and Stoppable break up? You two seemed…well, made to be."

She felt Kim stiffen a little in her grasp before she let out a big sigh and leaned back from Shego's shoulder. Again she regretted the loss of extra body heat, but conversation was supposed to be face-to-face. And, with the way she'd been shamelessly clinging to Shego, she owed the woman some face time. "That's how it seemed, didn't it?" she asked rhetorically.

Shego was smart enough to recognize that she didn't need to answer; her smart-aleck side insisted she answer anyway, so she did. "Well, I suppose it may have been well-hidden...only if you didn't have eyes," she confirmed.

Kim gave her half a grin. "The problem wasn't with him, and I told him as much. Yeah, the good old 'It's not you, it's me,' line…except I think it was really true." She shrugged, the gesture combining resignation with helplessness. "It's like I told you before. I thought I was enjoying it, enjoying him, but it struck me one day that I felt like I was making out with one of my brothers." She sighed again. "Part of it, I think, comes from us knowing each other since we were like four years old. I mean, with us growing up together, it's like we were _too _close. Maybe too similar. He's a nice guy—and he is, don't you say anything about him being a buffoon," she warned. She'd have pointed a finger at Shego, but her hands were happy where they were—still on Shego's shoulders—so she settled for a glare instead. "Anyway, maybe that was part of it? Since we were so similar…maybe that saying of there being such a thing as too much of a good thing actually has something to it. I don't know. All I know is, after a short time, both of us ended up being kind of uncomfortable with the idea of dating each other, and in spite of it being my breakup line, it was a mutual decision."

Shego nodded softly before cracking a grin. "Too bad for him. I happen to think the world-saving-cheerleader is just my type."

Kim turned absolutely red before returning the smile. "I guess when they say opposites attract they mean it in more ways than one, Miss Tough-as-Nails Bad Girl."

Shego raised an eyebrow as her grin faded. "You mean you're actually _attracted _to me?"

Kim rolled her eyes. Shego could be amazingly…_dense _sometimes. "I spent the last few days trying to convince myself that our first kiss didn't mean anything, that I wasn't into girls, and that you were going to be gone again anyway, and I come home today, see you, and give you a hell of a kiss that leaves me even more tingly than any I've ever had before, dashing my little rationale to pieces—quite happily, might I add. So yes, I'd say I'm attracted to you."

Kim had seen lots of people become happy in her eighteen years. Most often she saw it when she finished a mission and returned with positive results. The current situation, though, easily took first place, as Shego's face positively _glowed _with the smile she suddenly sported. And that glow wasn't from her plasma, either.

Shego controlled herself; leaping around the room for joy would involve throwing Kimmie off her lap, and she didn't want to do that, so she settled with the huge smile. "You better be," was all she could come up with before something else Kim had said penetrated her euphoria. "Wait a second…why would you convince yourself it didn't mean anything?" she demanded, almost angry now. She totally missed the fact that her mood could be just as mercurial as any other whom she wondered about.

Kim sighed yet again. "You're not the only one concerned about your reputation, you know," she began guiltily. "When we first kissed, one of the zillion thoughts in my head was, 'I can't be doing this! I can't be into Shego; what would everyone think?' I mean, if word got out that we were dating or whatever, would people still call on me for missions? I _like _doing them, it's what I am, and I don't want to give that up." She looked Shego right in the eyes then, her expression utterly serious. "I won't lie to you and say that I'm not afraid of that now, but really, it's their loss if they do. What should it matter to them what I do with my personal life? As long as their problem is solved, should they care who I like? Dammit, Shego, I want you and I want to help. Is that too much to ask?"

Shocked into silence, Shego only stared at Kim. The only time she'd ever seen the redhead get _that _worked up was in their fights. It was uncharacteristic, as far as Shego knew, for Kim to vent like that. Sure, she knew the teen hero got frustrated at lots of things, but she usually kept it in until she could defuse it herself. Even having Stoppable as a sympathetic ear didn't mean Kimmie ever ranted at him like that. And she _never _swore.

The second thing that had Shego quiet was her admission of desire. The kisses were one thing—a very very _big _one thing, to be sure, but one thing nonetheless—and yet to hear Kim actually say something like that…it made that semi-nervous flutter in her chest return and even grow stronger.

What struck Shego in the midst of her reflections was how Kim was basically telling the rest of the world to fuck off if they raised any problems with her choice in dating material, to only care if their request was filled or not. Shego saw that as being very…well, mercenary, almost. Certainly businesslike, and not at all the bleeding-heart style Kim usually kept up. What she _didn't _know was how much of that was due to her own influence, and Kim's envying of Shego's live-and-let-live lifestyle.

"Shego?" Kim's voice intruded in her thoughts. "I'm sorry for doubting you. Us. For making you angry."

Acting on impulse, Shego pulled Kim into a tight hug. "It's okay, Princess," she said. "I think I can see where you're coming from." Then, in an effort to return things to some semblance of normalcy, she dropped a hand from Kim's shoulder to her thigh and began tracing up and down the inside of the limb. "Yep. From right…about…" She moved her hand further upwards, tracing the inseam on Kim's jeans. Kim moaned gently at the touch, and Shego smirked, both at what her touch was doing and at how Kim either ignored or agreed with the double entendre. Shego pressed a little harder…

"TICKLE!" the redhead shrieked as she nearly exploded out of Shego's lap. The light touch had hit just the right spot so that all erotic thoughts were tossed aside instantly and she leapt upwards and away, eyes wide, breathing heavily.

Shego began to laugh, harder than she had in a long, long time. "Oh man," she managed to get out as she doubled over in the chair. "You should've seen your face." She continued to laugh, and though she wasn't slapping her knee—she was too busy holding her stomach, she was laughing so hard—it was certainly worthy of that action.

Kim fumed a bit as she stared at her laughing tormentor. "Think it's so funny, do you?" she growled. Shego didn't respond, too busy trying to get herself under control. Kim had a flash of inspiration and tensed her body, waiting for just the right moment…

She had her moment when Shego began a fresh breath in laughter. As soon as the ex-villainess shut her eyes Kim attacked, launching herself at Shego and making it all the way in past the woman's normally-nigh-impenetrable defenses. Her fingers sought the right spots and…bingo!

Shego jerked as Kim fell on her, but before she could respond she felt Kim's fingers attacking her own body, and she began to squirm violently at the return tickle attack. With a shriek of her own she slid off the chair and to the floor for the room to maneuver, but Kim was still on her. Shego retaliated by knocking Kim off and attacking again. Kim rolled away and defended her sides, only to launch a kamikaze tickle attack right back onto Shego.

The hero and villain clashed for quite some time before succumbing to total exhaustion. Really, who would have thought that the only way they'd wear each other out so completely was through a genuine, old-fashioned, first-grade-style tickle fight? As they lay there, each sprawled on the floor, staring at the ceiling, their hands sought each other out, and clasped together tightly when they found their targets. They passed the occasional squeeze back and forth, each fighting to get her breathing under control while seeking to have their energy return.

Twin growling stomachs suddenly reminded them of how much time had actually passed—and how much energy had actually been consumed. They turned their heads toward each other; in Shego's view was both Kim's face and the window through which she'd entered, and she was a little amazed to see it was getting quite dark outside. "How long have we been in here?" she asked idly.

"Meh," Kim answered, looking to find a convenient timepiece. "It was almost five-thirty when I found you, and the clock thingy says it's almost eight." Then her eyes widened. "Ohmigosh, I wonder if all those people are still outside?"

Shego chuckled. "You _can _swear, you know, Pumpkin. And they're probably inside already. Police are almost as good at forcing locks as I am at picking them."

"Okay…and I know I can swear, I just usually don't like to."

"Oh, come on, Kimmie. It's liberating. Just let all your negativity go in those words. It's very cathartic."

Kim smiled but rolled to her feet, extending a hand to help Shego up. When both were standing, she asked, "Would you like to do something for dinner?"

Shego stretched before answering. "Sure. What've you got?"

"Nothing, really. I've been here a whopping two days and haven't had a chance to get the essentials yet."

"Those essentials being…?"

"You know," Kim answered, suddenly uncomfortable. "Typical college student stuff."

Something went click in Shego's mind. "So…nothing _real_."

"Ramen noodles are real!" Kim protested before slapping her hands over her mouth. "I plead the Fifth," she muttered between her fingers.

Shego muttered something incoherent before sighing. "Sure they are. Tell you what, Cupcake: Just this once, I'll take you out somewhere. Then later on we can get you your _real _supplies."

Kim lowered her hands. "You have a deal," she said in her best TV announcer voice.

Shego half-smiled and lightly cuffed the back of her head. "Silly Kimmie." For a moment she thought of her actions—who'd have thought that she'd be clowning around with her greatest nemesis, after all?—but only for a moment. The fact of the matter was it wasn't important. She put her arm around Kim's shoulders. "The night is ours. Let's get gone." So saying she guided Kim out the door, making sure to close and lock it behind them.

* * *

They ended up going to a moderate restaurant and spending an enjoyable hour and a half there. Unfortunately the time had to end, and the two returned to Kim's dorm room. On the way there Shego related stories of her own college days to Kim, revealing that while she might not have been a villain yet, her mischievous streak was already alive and well. Why else would she have ascended the wall of the dormitory in the dark using her plasma-enhanced fingers and claws to carve subtle yet stable hand-and-footholds in the brick wall, only to then have to pick the window's opening mechanism and slip inside? 

For Kim, it was really quite amazing. The kind of…near-instant transformation the two of them had undergone was leaving her somewhat speechless. After all, they'd been fighting to a standstill for years and years; a few days together off the clock and they were chumming around like…well, like Kim and Ron. Except Kim didn't want to deliver a senses-depriving kiss to Ron like she did right now to Shego. Hadn't ever wanted to, now that she thought about it. The thought saddened her slightly. She'd been so sure at first that Ron was her one and only; reality had quickly set in, but the two of them had still tried to make things work. Eventually, just as she'd told Shego, she decided that what she felt for Ron remained at the "best friend in the universe" level but couldn't rise above that. He was simply too close, too familiar. Shego, though…she was fresh and exciting and kept Kim on her toes. Now _there _was a person she wasn't afraid to admit liking, same gender or not.

They returned to Kim's room and an awkward silence enveloped them as they contemplated themselves. Kim broke the ice first. "Thanks for taking me out tonight," she said softly as she gave Shego another hug.

The pale woman returned the hug easily. She was far from paranoid about displays of affection, and after the night she'd just had, she almost felt prepared to kiss her evil reputation goodbye. Oh, sure, she wasn't going to suddenly morph into a shiningly-armored crusader, but she was done with the thieving and the helping-blue-boy-take-over-the-world. And it was all because of a certain petite, red-haired teenager who'd captured her attention and, she conceded, quite probably her heart. That last part was most surprising; while not nastily evil, Shego had figured that she didn't have any room for really caring about anyone anymore. From the way things were going, she was actually very glad Kim had proven her wrong on that point. It also pointed out to her the one thing she'd felt was lacking earlier. It wasn't the affection, the lust, the need, the desire, the...the _love_. What was missing was the recognition. The knowledge that, yes, that was indeed what the feeling was.

"You're welcome," she murmured into Kim's hair. Then her troublemaking nature, combined with steadily growing lust and desire, took over and she slid a hand down Kim's back to rest on her backside. She gave it a little squeeze and smirked when Kim squeaked in surprise. Shego admitted to some private surprise—she hadn't expected Kim's butt to be that…filled out—until the feel caused her to remember, in a flash, the nickname her mother had used. "Bubblebutt," she'd called Kim, and damn if it didn't still apply.

Kim squirmed but couldn't get out of Shego's grip at either shoulder or ass. "Now what are you doing?" she growled.

"If all goes according to plan, you," Shego replied in her best isn't-it-obvious tone, and was rewarded with seeing Kim's face turn absolutely red in shock while she tried and failed to form words. Instead of allowing Kim the luxury of protesting, though, Shego simply leaned in and captured Kim's lips with her own. The heroine didn't move; she neither pulled away nor dove in, so stunned was she by Shego's admission. After a few seconds her body took over, returning the kiss with interest.

Shego took the move as encouragement, squeezing Kim's ass again. When the redhead moaned into the kiss, she went on to knead the fleshy region with her hand, the other hand moving to Kim's face and caressing her cheek.

Conflict raged in Kim's mind. On the one hand, giving in to Shego's wishes would permanently change their relationship, and while she wasn't sure that was a bad thing, a small part of her still _did _care what everyone else would think. Great Hero cavorting with Known Criminal? So much for her credibility. Despite her earlier decision to throw their opinions to the wind, she found herself still thinking about it, albeit hazily.

On the other hand, if her busy mouth and tongue were any indication—not to mention the rising heat in her own body and various tingly signals it was sending—she really, _really _wanted to do this. So much so, in fact, that in a single moment of clarity she discarded her reservations entirely. She didn't even care that that might come back to haunt her later; this was more important.

So deciding, she reached her hands up Shego's front to the snap at the collar of her form-fitting catsuit and pulled it apart. She peeled it away slightly, allowing her fingers to explore Shego's neck. Her mouth quickly followed, for though she regretted breaking the kiss, the opportunity to taste other portions of the object of her affection was too good to pass up. She placed small, wet kisses at the joint of neck and shoulder, moving up to her jaw and back down again, at one point simply allowing her tongue to trace a line along the strong tendons and musculature. She smiled softly as Shego tilted her head back and uttered a throaty moan, allowing Kim fuller access. The skin tasted wonderful to Kim somehow; she'd never imagined necking would be so fulfilling, but she was quite content to remain at that point for some time. She nibbled gently where she felt Shego's strong pulse and was rewarded with the plasma-throwing woman hissing and delivering another squeeze to Kim's backside.

Shego was in a state of rapturous bliss as she felt Kim's delicate ministrations on her neck, but eventually she felt it was time to take charge again. Removing her hand from Kim's shoulder, where it had fallen when Kim began on her neck, she slid it down the adventurer's side until it reached the hem of Kim's shirt. She slipped her hand under the offending garment, stroking the soft flesh underneath, rediscovering the smooth, toned muscles she'd first explored a few days before. Back and forth between back and stomach she moved, arcing slightly higher each time, until she reached the edge of Kim's bra. She moved her hand around to Kim's back, pulling her other one off her ass and deftly unhooking the bra in about half a second. The tension thus released she returned her hand to Kim's behind and resumed her kneading while the other hand returned to stroking, teasing along the underside of Kim's loosed breasts, causing the younger girl to hitch on Shego's neck for a second.

_That's gonna leave a mark, _both thought at the same time.

The moment was far from ruined, though, and Kim took her left hand from Shego's neck, using it instead to further unzip the front of the skintight costume. When it came to a stop at a level just below where Kim expected her bellybutton to be, she released the mechanism and returned her hand to that lovely, deceptively delicate neck.

Shego was becoming extraordinarily aroused. Not only was she seriously making out—and, from the looks of it, about to score, as well—but it was with the one person she'd realized she would, _could_, actively care about. She'd been with people a few times, was by no means promiscuous, but not once had there ever been anything even approaching this level of emotional attachment. Her Kimmie, she found, was the one person outside her parents that she would be fiercely protective of, not just in social situations but in physical as well. Jealousy wouldn't even begin to cover it. Possessive wasn't it, either. She not only desired the petite girl but wanted her to be _hers_, to be exclusive and devoted to Shego like Shego was prepared to do with her, and cherished and…_loved_…like Kim deserved to be. She wanted Kim to want her, to need her like she needed Kim in return. Strangely enough, the callous, uncaring, self-centered thief-for-hire wanted to make her little redhead happy, even if the gesture wasn't returned.

Those feelings smashed into her in a surge of unprovoked emotion and she felt her eyes filling with tears again. Twice in one day, her mind railed against itself, she'd been brought to the verge of crying. At least her eyes were closed and her head still tilted back, so Kim couldn't see anything. Shego managed to keep herself under control, though, and Kim's actions were helping, driving the sappy away with the unbridled passion and pleasure her touches, kisses, and licks were producing.

Kim had felt Shego's breath shudder slightly, and while she knew they were having fun, she also knew they hadn't been active enough for…_that _to happen yet. She wasn't sure what was wrong, but as Shego wasn't doing anything different, she decided against it as well. She was having such a wonderful time finding all the little niches and nuances of Shego's neckline that changing the routine seemed silly, though she knew she'd have to move eventually. She especially noted that while Shego's hand busily played with the underside of her breasts, and Kim moaned deeply into Shego's neck at the attention. She and Ron had fooled around a couple of times, never making it terribly far, but this was…indescribable. It was even better than her and Shego's explorations of a few days before, since Kim wasn't nearly as surprised and unsure now as she had been then.

Kim decided to return the favor Shego was doing her and slid her hands down the pale green neck to her shoulders, slipping them under the thin body suit. She was vaguely surprised to find no bra underneath as she stroked along them and to the top of Shego's arms, but that just meant she could get to it all the more quickly. Her hands traced gently down the front of Shego's chest, finding the valley of her cleavage before moving along to the underside of Shego's breasts as well. Kim continued lapping at Shego's neck, though she moved slightly from the side to the front.

Shego's breath caught in her throat as Kim proved just how adventurous she was. She almost couldn't believe her luck, but before she could further ruminate on it, Kim's finger brushed past her nipple and she inhaled sharply. That action, whether deliberate or not, brought her back to reality. Without thinking much about it—she was still rather focused on how Kim's hands felt—she slid her hand up and grabbed a handful of soft flesh on Kim's chest, massaging it gently. It fit perfectly into her hand, and if Kim had any insecurities about her size, Shego intended to lay them to rest. She felt Kim's mouth stop as the redhead leaned into the touch and she moaned, and Shego smirked slightly at having taken control of the situation.

She snuck her lower hand around the waistband of Kim's jeans until it was resting on Kim's stomach. Her fingers tickled for a moment before sliding down. Shego was privately glad Kim still wore jeans with a looser waist, not unlike the cargo pants she wore during missions. As she traveled down she wondered idly about hygienic things until she found that Kim was totally smooth, which for some reason oddly thrilled her.

Kim suddenly sagged against her even more bonelessly, which told Shego she must have hit a particularly sensitive spot…but without being able to see it, she doubted she'd be able to repeat the performance.

Kim buried her face in Shego's breastbone, not caring that the zipper edges from the catsuit were resting roughly on her ears. Shego's touch was driving her beyond insane with want, and as she rested there the hand on her breast gave a small squeeze. Kim felt something excited shoot through her again, had been feeling like that since her bra had been unhooked, and shivered slightly before realizing where she was. She began to kiss up and down the valley she was in, enjoying the view immensely when she opened her eyes slightly. Moving her head to the side she delivered feathery kisses to the inner sides of Shego's breasts, eventually tracing her tongue along the wonderful orbs being presented to her. Her own hands restarted their activity, cupping along the underside again before doing a little gentle squeezing of their own. She longed to have Shego out of the suit, but that would involve breaking away for too much time, and if she just pulled it down it would restrict the movement of Shego's arms too much.

Shego, apparently, was thinking along the same lines, for she withdrew her hands from Kim's clothing. Before Kim even had time to make any sort of disappointed noise, Shego scooped her up into her arms, carrying her bridal-style across the dorm room until she reached the small bedroom. She gently deposited Kim on the bed, recalling the last time she'd done this, what seemed like ages ago back at her hideout, after she'd blown up Dr. D's thingymawhatsit with the mountains and the shaving. Back then, though they had slept together, they hadn't_ slept _together, in the significant sense. Now, though, Shego wanted desperately to fulfill that goal, and she had a very good idea that Kim wanted to do the same.

Before she burned herself on that assumption, though, she decided to make sure that was the case. Again she thought of how she would never have done such a thing in the past, how she'd never needed anyone's consent…but Kim was hardly "anyone," and this wasn't the past anymore. _Actually, I really hope it's a future_…

Kim looked up from her position on the bed to see Shego staring down at her, an unreadable expression on her face thanks to the dark room and her silky black hair. "Shego…" she began, slightly surprised to hear her voice sound mostly normal, "is something the matter?" She made no move to cover herself.

"Kimmie," Shego answered quietly, "are you sure you want this?"

Kim was ready to flip off an answer, but when she noticed how absolutely serious Shego was being, she held off, instead giving the matter some actual thought. She tried to reason with herself like she had earlier, tried to bring up the same objections as she had done before her first class that morning. Did she really want this? _Emphatically _yes. Did she want a relationship with Shego, an ex-nemesis, ex-thief, ex-villainess, and all-around cold-hearted bitch, even if she was being quite…human at the moment? Absolutely. Did it matter to Kim that Shego was quite obviously female? Not a bit. Would it matter? Oh, Kim was sure some people would object, but…the final question. Did she care? Did Kim Possible, high school social butterfly and (in some ways) normal teenage girl, care if word of her preference got out and society decided to absolutely cut her off?

She knew right away that there was only one way to answer that question for her, and by extension, only one answer for Shego.

"Yes," she answered equally as quietly, a small smile gracing her features.

Shego very nearly sighed in relief. She hadn't realized just how badly she wanted to hear that answer until Kim hesitated before speaking; when the redhead hadn't said anything right away Shego's insides had clenched almost painfully. Now that that hurdle was past, though, she fully intended to return to their previous activities. She climbed up on the small bed—she guessed it was only a twin-size mattress, large enough to fit either one of them separately, but barely big enough for both bodies—and straddled Kim's waist. She leaned down for a fiery kiss before finding the hem of Kim's shirt again, and this time she didn't hesitate in lifting the garment right off. One of her hands caught Kim's bra when the shirt was almost off and she yanked it away as well, leaving the adventurer's twin assets plainly exposed. Shego leaned in for another kiss, pausing for half a second as she saw Kim's absolutely adorable light blush at being so exposed. Her fingers brushed against Kim's ribs as she kissed her way down Kim's neck and breastbone before moving to a side and delivering a gentle peck to the side of the treasure. Her hand danced over the other mound, making sure to occupy both so Kim wouldn't feel like something was being left out. Teeth, tongue, and tips of fingers worked feather-light magic on Kim's skin, switching sides occasionally.

Kim's mind was on sensory overload at the moment, which is why her body seemed to respond on its own. One hand went to the back of Shego's head, holding her in place while the other grabbed the bed sheets and twisted itself in them in ecstasy. Small, guttural noises escaped her throat until Shego bit gently down, eliciting a muted shriek followed by a gasp as Shego's tongue went into "damage control" mode. She arched her back into Shego's touch, instinctively bringing herself closer in some small way to the source of such mind-numbing pleasure.

Shego used her free hand to unfasten Kim's jeans, but she knew she'd need both to remove them. She stayed up top for a few more seconds before lifting away, putting her weight back on her knees as she delicately removed Kim's pants; hey, she didn't know if Kim had any other pairs with her, and with Kim being a college student she didn't want to force the smaller girl to spend on anything she didn't have to. Kim's panties were next, and suddenly she was laid bare for Shego to see.

Unlike the last time Shego'd had such a visual treat, she had full license to stare and appreciate everything. A nasty injury and trust issues had prevented that last time; now that both were absent from the equation Shego looked down at Kim, seeing the total picture, and she felt the heat of her lust, of her desire, fanning ever higher the longer she looked. Gently she laid a hand on Kim's leg, echoing its path earlier except without the jeans in the way. The flesh on Kim's leg was silky and delicate, which was something of a surprise given Kim's rough-and-tumble lifestyle and dedication to cheerleading in high school. Shego wasn't about to complain, though, and busied herself with exploring every square inch of those legs. As her investigations climbed higher and narrower, Kim began to make small whimpering noises, and Shego smirked victoriously as she knew exactly what her Kimmie wanted.

She leaned in again, a faint scent wafting in her nostrils as she descended; she realized what it was a second before she saw Kim glistening before her, and the sight took her breath away. Shego wasn't about to be picky with anything about Kim, but to see such perfection was a _very _pleasant surprise. She wanted to savor the image as long as she could, so she reached upward again and placed her hands on the two treasures she had claimed earlier. Kim moaned, both at the touch and at Shego's breath on her absolute center. When Shego leaned in for another kiss, one set of lips to another, Kim just about flipped out completely. The feeling was so beyond anything Kim had ever experienced…and it continued! Shego had no problems finding the one target she knew would send Kim over the edge, and with the same tender care she'd used the entire time she latched onto that point with her mouth.

Kim very nearly screamed her head off when she felt the contact; it took only a few more seconds for her to shout Shego's name, drawing the last syllable out in a long, protracted exhalation of physical joy. When Kim calmed down enough, Shego popped her head up from between Kim's legs and smirked again. "You called?"

Kim took a second or three to get her breathing back under control, instead of the heaving and panting she'd been doing, before she responded to the wiseass comment. Just as she opened her mouth the perfect reply flashed into her mind, and she waited a few more seconds so her voice would sound as normal as possible. "Better watch it, you bad girl," she warned. "I'm coming to get you."

Shego snorted at the obvious double meaning, but she was too pleased with herself—and with Kim, for not running off in disgust or something—to put down Kim's attempt at matching Shego at her own game. "You already have me, Princess," she replied in a sultry tone, crawling up on her elbows to kiss Kim again.

The hero surprised Shego by energetically throwing her arms around her neck. When they separated for air, Kim looked her in the eye. "Is it just me, or do you taste different?" she asked.

"I think it's you, Pumpkin," Shego replied. Kim caught the meaning after a second and blushed, which made Shego smile.

Deciding to return the rascally streak, Kim slipped her hands back inside Shego's bodysuit while the pale woman was slightly off-guard, except this time Kim gave in to her wish and yanked the thing off Shego's shoulders. She shivered slightly in anticipation; there was something about the look of surprise on Shego's face that only encouraged her on, and her bare shoulders looked oddly enticing. Kim noted that they actually looked quite feminine and delicate, despite the serious power she knew Shego packed. Exploring the pale green body with her hands, she found Shego to be just as soft and smooth all around as she was on the neck and chest. She wanted more, though, and withdrew her hands so she could assist Shego in divesting herself of the suit's long sleeves. As soon as her arms were out Kim had the thing down to her waist in a flash, freeing Shego's fuller breasts for Kim to play with.

She tried to imitate Shego's actions earlier as best she could, keeping her touches tantalizingly light while she discovered. One thing she noted was that Shego's body was quite obviously green all over, which led to some interesting findings, such as the nubs atop the fleshy mounds Kim was working on; they were a deeper green, almost the same olive shade of green as Kim's eyes but a tad darker. Kim decided then and there that the similar coloration meant this body was for her eyes only from now on.

Leaving Shego to support herself with her arms, Kim slid down the bed under her until that magnificent chest was in her face, then lifted her head gently until she came in contact; her lips parted, depositing first a kiss before latching on to the green peak in amateur delight. As Kim had never been with a female before, all she could do was try and imitate what had been done to her.

Of course, since anything was possible for her, she copied quite well, a fact Shego could attest to—if her brain weren't threatening to leak out of her ears from the sensations, that is.

Taking the low, throaty moans as encouragement, Kim continued with her mouth while her hands crept down the other woman's torso and grabbed the suit yet again, snaking it gently lower still until it pooled around the woman's knees. Sensing her opportunity, Kim grabbed Shego's waist and flipped her. Shego spilled willingly, her hair falling entirely on one side. She watched Kim pull her suit off completely, and grinned when the redhead blanched.

"Are you _always _naked under this thing?" Kim asked out of sheer disbelief.

"Well, yeah," Shego answered as if it were obvious. "You know how tight that is. Anything else would get in the way…or pinch something fierce."

Kim said nothing more as she readied herself for the task ahead. Instead she gazed at the green woman on the bed before her. The combination of her sheer sexiness and the look on her face made Kim feel simultaneously weak in the knees—for which she was thankful that she was still kneeling—and wonderfully privileged that Shego was sharing herself with her. She leaned down again to honor that body as best she could; as soon as she made contact with Shego's skin the slightly older woman hissed in pleasure.

Kim massaged Shego's thighs with one hand while the other wandered up and down what torso she could reach. She felt Shego buck slightly under her and smiled to herself while she kissed her way down her stomach. The skin was still wonderfully warm to the touch, and Kim found that the woman actually smelled slightly spicy, though Kim couldn't identify exactly what it reminded her of. As she worked her way down a different smell registered to her nose and she hid a satisfied smirk as she found that Shego apparently desired her as much as Kim had wanted the other woman.

Kim tentatively reached out with her tongue, only to hear Shego inhale sharply and practically shove herself down onto Kim. Taking it as a good sign, she began to explore further, bringing her upper hand down to assist in the expedition. She noted to herself that Shego tasted wonderful, and a small part of her mind registered that this was not an observation she had ever expected to make in the past. She knew, though, that things change…and as Shego's breathing quickened into panting, her hands clutching the sheets tightly and her legs wrapping around Kim's shoulders, Kim also knew that it was a change she wasn't about to give up.

* * *

Several minutes later, after both women had had a chance to catch their breaths, Kim snuggled up next to Shego, the redhead almost deliriously happy. She was wearing a gigantic smile and lay on her side in front of Shego so they faced each other, though Kim was tucked under Shego's chin, a position she fit almost perfectly. They'd drawn the sheets up, leaving the comforter at the end of the bed; Kim knew that Shego's elevated body temperature meant the other woman rarely felt cold, and in fact tended to overheat if she was under too many layers. She also knew, now from experience, that Shego radiated heat like nothing else, and that meant Kim wouldn't be missing that extra blanket. At least, she _hoped _it would mean she wouldn't be missing that extra blanket; her mind plagued her with irrational fears of Shego leaving now that she'd had her way with Kim and would want nothing else to do with her. She tried to be rational about that scenario; would she really be that devastated if Shego treated this as a fling, as a one-night stand? _Of course,_she answered herself. She wouldn't kid herself by being okay with being tossed aside; she wanted something lasting, and damn it, Kim was going to hunt Shego to the ends of the earth if she only wanted to be fuck buddies. 

Shego winced slightly as Kim's grip on her tightened. She wasn't sure if Kim knew what she was doing; the littler woman had serious power in her limbs, even if she wasn't as strong or super-powered as Shego herself. She wasn't in danger of hurting the ex-thief, but Shego _was _starting to get a mite uncomfortable. "Princess," she whispered, "you okay there? You're not freaking out on me, are you?"

Kim surprised her completely by asking, "You're not going to leave me, are you?"

The hurt and pain wrapped up in the question stunned Shego. She started to get angry that Kim thought so little of her—like hell was she that shallow! Then Kim's grip spasmed, and Shego calmed herself slightly. She still resented the implication of Kim's question, but from the night they'd just had, and the emotion Kim was showing, she was feeling a bit…generous. So instead of trying to, say, punch Kim's head in for being insulting, she instead raised Kim's head with a hand under the slender girl's chin. She was absolutely shocked to see tears in Kim's eyes, driving the rest of her anger away completely.

Kim felt Shego's fingers on her chin, pulling her head up, and she looked the pale woman in the eyes, emerald-green eyes meeting tear-filled, leafy-green ones. She had slightly surprised herself with being so emotional; calm, aggression, happiness, cockiness (Yes, she could admit to _some _level of hubris), and even anger were things she felt and showed to the world, not this weepy sissy side…but at the moment she couldn't make it stop.

Shego held Kim's gaze for a second, making sure the other girl knew how completely serious she was going to be. "No," she finally answered. "I'm not leaving. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not next week. Not ever, if you'll have me." Shego knew deep down what she was saying, and at one point in her life it would have scared her shitless. She was not one for personal commitments like that, but for Kim…Shego had known the redhead for years now and she knew now that she'd liked her for most of them, even if it had been hidden and buried behind layers of professional veneer and forbidden because of being on opposite sides of the law. There was just something about Kimmie; maybe it was the ability to fight Shego to a standstill, maybe it was how she always came back for more, maybe it was weathering all the taunts and insults Shego threw her way and occasionally retorting with same, maybe it began as physical attraction and grew. However it had happened, Shego knew that being with Kim was not going to be any sort of brief dalliance. She wanted, honestly wanted, to stay with her…and she respected Kim enough to listen to what she had to say and even abide by it. If Kim wanted her gone, she'd go, even if it would crush both of them inside.

Luckily Kim avoided that fate for the two of them. "Of course I want you to stay," she told Shego firmly. The tears were draining away finally, and Kim seemed to feel more of her usual self coming back. "Would I have asked if I didn't?"

"You have a point." Shego brushed some hair from Kim's forehead, smiling sincerely at the smaller girl. "Boy, Kimmie, what are you going to do for fun now? You've got me and I swore off being a Bad Guy. Who's gonna fight you?"

"You are," Kim said simply, smiling coyly.

"I am?"

"You bet. You know you want to, anyway."

"Are you sending me away now, pushing me to turn back to the dark side just so you can have your unending rivalry?" Though the words may have been sharp, Shego'd said them with a smile. Those words were also _way _too formal for her to be serious.

Kim's mouth quirked in a half-grin. "You know it. Spurned lovers are the best enemies, you know?"

"Is that the voice of experience, or are you quoting that goofy sitcom we were zapped into by Dr. D's vortex thingy?"

Kim giggled. "Sitcom. What, did you end up watching it too? Is that how you recognized the line?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Shego answered cryptically, her expression perfectly neutral.

Laughing once more, Kim cuddled up against Shego again before experiencing a jaw-cracking yawn. "Wow," she said once it was over. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought."

Shego glanced around the room for a second. "It _is _almost one in the morning," she told Kim after finding the girl's alarm clock.

"That late already? No wonder…" She yawned again, far more gently this time…and in the tradition of yawns since time immemorial, this one infected Shego, who had to field one of her own before she could speak.

"Stop doing that, Princess. Let's just get to sleep, kay?"

"Sounds good." Kim's eyes closed and Shego dropped her arms around the petite girl's torso. "Night, Shego," she muttered.

"Night, Cupcake."

* * *

Once again Shego was awakened midway through the night. The clock told her it was about three in the morning, but the time hadn't gotten her up; subtle movement had, and when she looked down she discovered Kim had shifted in her sleep. She'd turned around so the two were spooning, and Shego found she was feeling extraordinarily comfortable; the shared body heat easily kept the slightly chilly night at bay. She tightened her grip on the slender adventurer and quickly fell back asleep. 

Unnoticed by either woman was the short phrase spoken by one to the other even while both were apparently deep in the throes of sleep:

"…love you, my Kimmie…"

* * *

Shego woke up the next morning slightly disoriented; a quick glance at an unfamiliar clock told her it was between eight and nine; she didn't particularly care about the minutes. The bed was small, the ceiling unknown; the walls were devoid of anything she recognized…until last night came slamming back in a rush. 

In the rapid rise back to full consciousness, she noticed the bed was empty of anything save herself; she distinctly remembered having another warm body in there with her. Before she could wonder too much where her Princess had gone, though, she spotted a small note stuck on the nightstand next to the bed. She rose up on one elbow and picked up the note.

_Shego, sorry I had to run out but I had a morning class that I was already late for. Make yourself at home if you want to stay. I should be back after two, since that's about when my last class ends. If you're not there I'll assume you're at your parents. If not leave me some way to get ahold of you. I don't want to lose you._

_-Kim_

Shego smiled wryly and dropped the note back on the low piece of furniture. Kim didn't want to lose her? From the tone of the note she imagined Kim was thinking more of a wandering puppy or something, which made her laugh. Shaking her head over Kim's apparent goofiness, she threw the light sheet off and wandered over to Kim's dresser. Giving the world a free show wasn't something that interested her much, but she also didn't want to put the suit back on quite yet. She pulled open the drawers, finding Kim had packed quite a bit, apparently, of her wardrobe from home, and selected a couple of things at random. Sadly, Kim didn't appreciate the darker colors as much as Shego did, but at least it was clothing.

* * *

Kim's mind was far, far away as she sat through her three classes for the day. Every time she caught herself daydreaming she forced herself to pay more attention, which quickly faded back into dreams and reminiscences of the night before. It had been so _totally _unlike anything she'd ever experienced, so foreign, yet at the same time so comfortable and pleasing that it felt like something she'd been doing forever. It felt like…like how talking to Ron felt, in the way that she always had done it and would always continue to do it. She was pleasantly surprised to find herself ready, willing, and able to always be with Shego in spite of her previous reluctance. Before, all that talk about opinions not mattering had been just that: talk. But now…now she knew without a shadow of a doubt that Shego was hers, and she, Shego's. 

Though her mind was practically buzzing with how happy she was, she at least had the presence of mind to keep her face relatively neutral. After all, while it might not be so out of place on a college campus, wandering around like she was on a crack high was _not _going to do sterling things to her reputation…and this time, she did care. So she tried to act normal, and mostly succeeded.

That is, she succeeded until a familiar happy-minor-third theme interrupted a professor in the middle of an introductory lecture on the formation of the North American continent. She turned her wrist and hit the big blue button on the side of her Kimmunicator. "Go, Wade," she said quietly. She made sure to partially cover the casing, killing some of the sound; Wade had designed her second-generation Kimmunicator so that it could use the high-tech plastic-and-metal synthetic shell as a speaker, without needing to drill little holes and have the actual magnetic driver and such inside. The setup allowed him to cram just that much more into the little device.

Wade looked about to speak, then paused, apparently taking in the surroundings. "In class?" he asked. Kim's hand on the case ensured the voice came through relatively quietly.

"Yeah. Make it quick."

"Gotcha. More GMKCRs, south end of Go City."

"GMK—oh. Right. On it."

"Right, Kim. Oh, and Ron's busy again. He's duking it out with Monkey Fist again. Sorry, but you'll have to go it alone again."

"So not the drama, Wade. Actually…" A mischievous grin appeared on her face. "I've got help already."

"Team Go?" he asked.

"Not…exactly. Well, sorta."

Wade could tell something was up. Kim was being somewhat evasive, but if she had help, he wasn't going to ask. "Whatever. Good luck."

"Later, Wade," she said. She threw her notebook into her backpack and only then noticed that both the professor and about half the class were staring at her.

"Young lady, I will thank you to turn your cell phone off and never use it again in my class," the man stated. He was older, Kim guessed in his late 50s or early 60s, with glasses, a short beard, and salt-and-pepper hair. He wore a sport coat over his clothing, even in Go U's stiflingly hot lecture halls, and a fedora that looked like it had seen better days. In short, he was the spitting image of the stodgy old history professor archetype.

Kim wasn't anywhere _near _apologetic, but she said, "Sorry, Dr. Stepikulous. Gotta go save the world." She heaved her bag over her shoulder and dashed out of the classroom.

The teacher stared at the door for a second before turning back to the class. "Now that that has been taken care of, we'll be moving on to the earliest inhabitants of North America crossing the Bering Strait…"

* * *

Kim practically flew across campus. She threw the door to her dorm open and ran up the stairs, again taking them three at a time, until she got to her floor, where she dug out her key as she ran to the door. She jammed it into the lock, turned, turned it _back_, and yanked the key out, all in about half a second. Without even pocketing it she shoved the door open and ran inside. 

"Shego!" she called. "I hope you're awake…'cause I need your help!"

The cry did not go unnoticed. Shego looked up from where she was reading one of the random textbooks Kim had left lying around the dorm. "You do, do you?" she asked, a smirk creeping across her face. _Oh, how the lofty have fallen…the great hero needing a villain's help? _Shego stood and walked toward the front of the dorm, pausing in the doorway when she reached it.

"Yeah I do. Wade called in the middle of a class and—" Her voice quit as she stared. Words simply failed to describe the scene before her.

Shego was still in the doorway; she had one hand on the door jamb above the level of her head, and she was leaning that way, her torso bent so her hips were tilted. Her other hand was draped across her bare stomach, and the look on her face was sultry, to say the least.

What_ really _made Kim's jaw drop was the fact that Shego was in her clothes. Well, it wasn't really the fact that it was her clothing…it was how Shego was _wearing _it. Or how she wasn't, more accurately.

Shego was a bit bigger than Kim in many dimensions, the exception being the size of her waist. So it was with some glee that she had found a small pink camisole of Kim's and put it on. If nothing else, it would be something to tease Kim over…but the current reaction was far, far better than anything else.

The undergarment was drawn tight across Shego's impressive chest, meaning it stopped a good deal higher on her than it did on Kim. She also had a matching pair of panties, doubtlessly raided from Kim's drawer; they were quite exotic, and not the plain fare Shego had expected to find. She had known before that Kim liked to dress well; she _hadn't_ known that extended to lingerie. Still, seeing Kim practically tripping over her jaw as it hit the floor…it made her feel good, made her feel…wanted. It was not a feeling she was accustomed to having.

As Kim stared, Shego's smirk grew. Though she enjoyed flustering her Princess, she also was somewhat relieved that Kim _didn't _blush this time.

Actually, she was wrong; Kim was turning very slightly red. She was so shell-shocked, though, that her brain wasn't capable of telling the blood vessels in her face to behave properly for the situation. Kim knew it was wholly inappropriate given the current sitch, but suddenly, and very badly, wanted to strip Shego out of the flimsy attire and take her right then.

Sadly—at least, sadly to that part of her mind—she snapped out of her bewilderment…and gave Shego a very obvious once-over. It wasn't something she'd normally do. Then again, neither was shacking up with a woman.

Shego's smirk changed to a genuine smile when Kim finally looked her up and down. "You likey?" she asked, turning a small circle in the doorway.

When Kim replied with a wolf whistle, Shego cracked up.

Kim joined her for a moment, but then two things presented themselves again to her distracted mind. "Okay, okay," she calmed herself down. "Two things. First…pink is _so _not your color. Pink and green? Ew," she commented. At Shego's mildly hurt look, she amended, "I don't mean us, I mean my clothes. You look _so _much better in your normal colors."

"Really?" Shego drawled.

"Yeah. I mean, you've always looked gorgeous in your uniform." Now Kim_ did _blush…but given what the green-skinned woman meant to her, it was less out of embarrassment for admitting that fact, and more out of the fact that Shego had, quite probably on purpose, stretched in a _very _suggestive manner.

"Aww, thanks, Kimmie." She leaned back off the door frame. "So why'd you come flying in here like you had to save the world? And what's this about my help?"

Kim shook herself; it was, indeed, time to get down to business. "Wade called in the middle of class," she said again. "More of those GMKCRs."

"GMK—oh. Right." Kim grinned at how Shego had exactly echoed her, though the other woman could have no way of knowing that. "So?"

"So? Shego, I told you, I need your help. At the very least I need a way down there."

"Down where?" Shego knew she was going to regret asking.

"South side of Go City. The crazy trio's trying again."

Yep. She was right. Heaving a groaning sigh, she hung her head. "Come on, Princess. You _know _I don't do the hero thing."

"Shego…" Kim protested. "Look. I won't think of you as a hero…but I really need your help. I can't take these things by myself. Remember last time?"

"Yeah, I remember. You seemed to do pretty okay on your own."

"Only because you were their target," she countered. "Look at it this way. You hurt them more than I do; that's probably why they ignored me until I was on the one's head."

"Look, Kimmie, that may be, but I'd much rather sit this one out."

"At least get me down there," Kim pled. "Fine, you don't want to fight? You don't have to. But I have to stop them. And to do that I'll at least need your help to get me there."

"And what makes you think I can get you there any faster?"

Kim simply stared at her. She didn't say anything; she didn't need to. The look conveyed everything she wanted to speak. _Oh, come on. You think I think you _walked _here?_

Shego sighed again, this time in defeat. "Fine, fine. I'll get you down there." She shook her head. "Goddamn cheerleaders and fucking rats and fucking villains and…" Her muttering trailed off to incoherence as she entered the bedroom while Kim waited.

Kim decided to pay Shego back a little bit for doing this for her, so she silently followed her into the bedroom. She stayed where she was as Shego tossed off the undergarments and grabbed her suit. She got the thing past her legs when she felt a pair of arms slide around her torso until they crossed in front of her stomach; something pressed against her back, and with her hair in front of her shoulders to avoid closing it into the back of the catsuit, Shego felt breath between her shoulder blades. The breathing was quickly joined by another touch, and she felt herself relaxing.

Kim moved from side to side, gently placing small kisses along Shego's spine and shoulder blades. Her arms tightened around the other's waist, and Kim stood on her toes to lean up next to Shego's ear. "Thank you, and I'm sorry," she whispered.

Shego shivered in spite of the heat and contact; the breathing was too much. She felt herself growing warmer still. "Princess…" she practically moaned. "Keep this up and we're gonna be late…"

Kim kissed just under Shego's ear, then slowly pulled away. Shego didn't move, and Kim smiled to herself—it was nice to have that kind of effect on the other woman, she thought—before tugging gently on the suit to get it started moving back up her body.

Shego took the hint, slipping her arms inside before pulling it the rest of the way up. Kim stepped back as Shego flipped her hair around, and the noise of the zipper followed. Finally Shego turned around, looking as dangerously sexy as ever, and Kim couldn't help but smile at how Shego's expression so closely resembled her own "mission face." The green-skinned woman took one look at Kim and smirked.

"Time to kick some tail."

* * *

A/N: Whee! Told you it would be extreme. And I also told you it would only be a few days. Next up: just as Shego said. And yes, I know she said she didn't want to help, but let's face it, Shego lives for the fight. 


	11. Chapter 11: Ready to Rumble

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 11

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: What? Creative? What's that? If I created KP and friends, why would I be writing fanfiction?

* * *

Shego and Kim Possible sat perched on a pair of outcroppings that were attached to one of the iconic skyscrapers that made up the skyline of southern Go City. The outcroppings looked suspiciously similar to ones on a certain building in a certain other major United States city. In fact, they were almost exact duplicates of the eagle constructions on the Chrysler Building in New York City. The building itself was constructed in the same art deco style, though with enough dissimilarities that it wasn't a complete facsimile.

The architecture, though, was lost on the two ladies as they watched their targets, though—or rather, watched the devastation wrought by said targets. Sadly, it was approaching their perch.

"Did I ever mention I hate rats?" one said to the other.

"No…but the fact that you do, is something of a surprise."

"Why's that?"

"You seem like a kind of small-animal person, for some reason."

"Nah, not me. Gemini's dog-thing? Drives me crazy."

"I guess, when you use that example, you have a point." Shego yawned. "Sorry. Anyway, if you don't like small animals, why do you have your obsession with Cuddle Buddies?"

Kim turned slightly red as she responded. "Because they're not alive, and they're insufferably cute."

"But Kimmie, wouldn't you rather cuddle with me than a silly stuffed animal?" Shego wheedled.

Kim's blush only increased, which amused Shego to no end. "Look, even if you're right, this isn't the time for that…we really need to stop those things. Preferably before dinner."

Shego sighed. "I almost can't believe I got roped into this…" she complained, but inside, she was thinking, _But the chance to beat up some annoyances was too good to pass up._

Kim elbowed her. "If you're going to help, stop whining. If not, stay here and whine." So saying, she rose from her seat and readied her hairdryer/grappling hook.

Shego heaved a much-put-upon sigh. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered. "Yeesh, you fall for a hero and she expects you to help her move the world with a tiny lever…"

The red returned to Kim's cheeks, but she didn't respond, instead firing off her grappling hook with its trademark compressed-air bang. The hook exploded to long-range in an instant, trailing its nigh-indestructible tether, and when she felt it latch onto a building and slightly tighten she locked it at that length. Taking a deep breath she readied for a leap. "Ready?"

Shego stood behind Kim, wrapping her arms around the slender waist and lacing her fingers together. "Just say the word, Princess."

"Here we go!" With coordinated effort they took two steps back, then dashed forward and leapt off the eagle-gargoyle's head.

Freefall came first as they plummeted; Kim had a big smile plastered on her face that Shego couldn't see, which she was somewhat thankful for; she didn't want to hear any cracks on how she enjoyed falling so much. Shego, for her part, didn't _mind _the falling so much—really, for her, high places and falling didn't scare her, it was the hitting the ground at the end of those falls that _worried _her—but she didn't get a big kick out of it.

The rats loomed ever closer in their headlong rush to the ground; both women were not-so-subtly reminded of a certain green radiation-spewing monster (and no, they weren't thinking of Shego) rampaging through downtown Tokyo, though there were four now, and they were white, and they were also rats, not bizarre creations of someone's imagination. Well, okay, they_were _bizarre creations of someone's imagination, but at least they were still rats and not…avatars of the world's desire to cleanse itself. Or something.

Eventually, though, the grappling line began to take up their weight, and their trajectory changed, arcing gently from straight downward to imitate the path of a standard pendulum. Kim coaxed the dryer's motor to reel in slightly, shortening their arc and granting them greater rotational velocity. Following the plan they had hammered out on the way, as they passed the vertical and began to come up again, Shego released her grip on Kim's waist and sailed through the air. She peaked slightly above the plane of the rats' heads and as gravity took hold and began to drag her down she extended her feet before her.

With a bone-shaking smash she rammed into the side of a rat's head, feet-first. As she bent her legs to absorb some of the blow—she felt the rat's head snapping around from the rest of the force—she built up a double-fisted blast of plasma and dumped it right into the staring, unblinking, six-foot-tall eye looming just above her. The rat squealed in agony as she cooked its eye, and Shego smirked as she found the one exterior weak point that _hadn't _been plasma-proofed. The thing tried to wrench its head away from the source of pain.

In the two seconds that had transpired, Shego felt her footing begin to give. Also according to the plan, she pushed off with what little traction she had left and launched herself away from the thing's face. Gravity took hold once again and dragged her almost straight down, and she grabbed onto the rat's haunch as she fell. Thankfully the hairs were still fine enough to grasp, even if they did slip through her gloves a bit more easily than they should have.

_Wait a minute…I'm _still _sliding, _Shego thought as the hair continued to slip through her grip. She'd killed almost all of her downward velocity, and the ground was close enough to land easily, so she wasn't worried…but it _was _worrying, because of the next part of their plan.

The two fighters had tried to keep things simple; use Shego as a means to gather the rats in one place again, have Kim land on a head, plug in an EMP device and run away as the rats' brains turned into scrambled eggs again. Shego seemed to have accomplished part one; the other three had turned at the source of the new noise, seeing the new rat pawing at its face and trying to rid itself of the burning pain. She released her hold on the rat and slipped to the ground, looking at the thing again. Its fur _looked _mostly like last time, except…something was a bit off.

Then it registered…just as Kim flew in from the side and tried to latch onto the thing's back. The teen hero tried to grab for hairs to hold onto, but they slipped from her grasp, and she began to slide down its back. Panic crept in as she gathered speed down the slippery surface.

Shego had noticed that the hairs looked a bit…clumped, the way some animal fur does after it's been wetted thoroughly and allowed to dry a bit. The shadows made the rats look slightly dirtier, but the cosmetic effect wasn't nearly as important as the practical.

Shego dashed off as soon as she saw Kim impact and slip, and she dove recklessly over the rat's thrashing tail about half a second before it could sweep her off her feet. She hit the ground in a roll and was back on her feet and running before she even realized it. She saw she was never going to make it in time to keep Kim from sliding off the rat and probably sustaining serious injury upon contact with the ground…and then an idea hit her. She turned back to the rat's side and charged up her hands again, nervousness and a touch of desperation fueling her energy, charging the plasma blast more quickly than normal. She took careful aim, waited for the right opening…

And let loose a powerful blast right at the concrete under the descending foot of the GMKCR.

It's a well-known fact that bipedal creatures are the least inherently stable locomotive beings in the animal kingdom. For all their refined sense of balance, they still only have two points of contact with the ground. Upset one of them, and that sense of balance works overtime to compensate. For humans, that may mean flailing one's arms around, trying to throw one's body weight to a particular direction, or taking a stutter-step to maintain an upright position and avoid a faceplant.

As the GMKCRs were on their back feet, they suffered the same problems, compounded by their sheer size and lack of two-legged experience. While capable of bipedal locomotion, they were more at home with all four limbs on the ground, and so their balance wasn't nearly as tuned.

Shego's blast vaporized a huge chunk of road, roadbed, and dirt from under the rat's foot. The resulting explosion's shockwave shoved the foot back up into the air a few feet…but as the rat had already shifted its center of mass over that leg, the foot dropped back down. Instead of landing on level ground, though, it fell a good eight feet extra.

The rat stumbled as its balance was thrown completely off. It lurched to the side, whipping its tail around as it tried to regain its footing. Shego narrowly avoided being clubbed again; she had a more important job right now.

The rat's body twisted to the side as its flailed around. Shego dashed to that side just in time to intercept a scrambling Kim as she ran out of rat real estate and plummeted from its back. Her falling trajectory had shifted to the side as the rat fell; luckily that left her on the rat itself for a little extra time—just enough, in fact, that Shego was actually able to brace herself for the impact of Kim falling on her.

The teen hero had actually curled up in preparation for hitting the ground, so when she felt pressure only under her knees and shoulders, she actually dared to open her eyes.

"Surprise," Shego said with a cocky smirk.

Kim sighed in relief, relaxing again. "Thanks," she breathed. "_That_was scary."

"Yeah. What was up with that anyway? I thought you could climb anything."

"I don't know…it was…slippery. Oily. I could get a grip but my hands just slipped off." She glanced down at herself. "And I think I got some on me…ew."

Shego raised an eyebrow. Kim looked the same as usual, except for some slightly shiny streaks visible on her purple mission shirt. "What_is _it? It looks like…I dunno, like rosin or something."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "I'm…actually a bit surprised you know what that is…"

Shego rolled her eyes and deposited Kim on the ground. "I _was _a normal kid, you know."

"And you played a stringed instrument? You're just full of surprises." She looked over at the stuck-in-place rat. "Let's move for now, though."

"Good idea, Princess," Shego said. Together they backpedaled until they were about a block away from the stuck rat, which was _still _trying to pick its foot from the hole in the ground.

Kim flicked on her wrist-mounted Kimmunicator. "Wade, I need you to scan…whatever this is on my shirt. It came off the rats."

"Got it, Kim." As her tech guru spoke a thin green line expanded from the inner edge of her device. Kim felt suddenly self-conscious as the line came perilously close to her breasts, but it stopped just shy of them; she wasn't quite sure where the feeling had come from…but maybe it had something to do with Shego frowning at Wade over Kim's shoulder. She felt a blush coming on…and as usual there wasn't much she could do about it.

Wade, thankfully, appeared to be paying the two of them little attention, as his gaze was directed to some other monitor off to the side of the viewscreen he used to talk to Kim. "Hmm…strange. You said this was on the rats?"

"No, she just decided to paint herself up with it five minutes ago," Shego snarked.

Wade blinked and looked at Kim. "Was that…?"

"Never mind, Wade," Kim said hurriedly. "Just tell me what you found."

"But it was—"

"_So_not the time, Wade!" Kim pressed. She turned her wrist so he could see the rats—the one had finally managed to successfully remove its foot from the ground, though the extremity looked a bit mangled—then back to her face. "They're coming back for us."

"Right…Well, here's the thing. You've got one of the hairs on your shirt, too…and there's some interesting mixing going on. The hairs have been engineered to resist excess heat, but the coating is actually petroleum-based…which is odd, because from all indications it's being secreted by the rats themselves."

Shego blinked at the explanation. "Self-oiling rats?"

"Um…yeah," Wade agreed. "The kicker is, the coating and the hairs are reacting with each other, stripping the carbon from the oil and bonding it in certain places on the rat's hairs."

"Which means?" Kim pressed. The GMKCRs were tracking their scent now, it seemed, and as much as Kim could see in their big beady eyes, they had dinner on their minds.

"Which_means _that they're not _nearly _as fireproof as they once were. In fact, unless my analysis is wrong—"

"Which it never is," Kim and Shego chimed in together, Kim with a smile and Shego with eyes rolled.

"—um, right…anyway, unless my analysis is wrong, they should be more susceptible than usual."

"What's usual for these things, anyway?" Shego muttered as Kim signed off with the boy genius.

"That's a really good question. Let's find out how much of a change this is, okay?" Kim asked, reaching into a pocket and pulling out her familiar cosmetic item.

"Lipstick?" Shego asked. "Aww, are you prettying up for li'l ol' me?"

Kim blushed again. "Can you be serious for two seconds?"

"One. Two." Then Shego grinned. "See?"

Exasperated, Kim shook her head. "Laser lipstick," she explained shortly. "Between it and your plasma we should be able to heat things up a bit."

"Now_that's _what I like to hear." Shego flamed her fists again and looked at the rats, then back at Kim. A lazy grin graced her features. "Race you," she taunted, and off she went.

Kim blinked, then took off, running after Shego as quickly as she could.

It took them a handful of seconds to cross the city block and run into the GMKCRs. Once there Shego instantly sent a blast from each hand at the rat's chest. The two balls of plasma reached up and exploded against the furry abomination, and the sheer force of impact knocked the rat back slightly. As it lurched forward again Shego leapt at it and landed a pair of shots on its already-injured foot.

A deafening squeal filled the air as the rat thrashed in pain. Kim seized the opportunity to dash up and launch herself at the rat, using her grappling hairdryer on a convenient outcropping nearby to fling herself up atop the head of the same rat Shego had hurt. She noted, somewhat disappointedly, that there was a distinct lack of visible circuitry; apparently, along with the slick-fur upgrade, her foes had gotten smarter about leaving cybernetics lying out where she could get to them. She smirked at the thought of herself as a destructive little kid…but when there were giant mutant killer cyborg rats out to squish her, she felt a bit justified in imitating the Tweebs and their inherent ability to annihilate.

Just…without the rockets.

As she landed on the rat's head, she noticed that the other two towering terrors had apparently decided to ignore their pint-sized pugilists. She had to push that thought, and its alliterative action, to the back of her mind, though; she had more important things to worry about right now.

She dialed her lipstick laser up to a higher emission wattage than she normally used. She had one chance; she could feel herself starting to slip just a tad as the rat's head rocked and she moved along the slight cranial ridge. Shifting her body weight forward she slipped and slid up to just behind the brow of the rat and, with a quick swipe, brought her laser across the top of the thing's head.

Smoke drifted up into her face as the slicked-down hair vaporized under the ultra-focused beam of laser light. The stink was beyond anything she'd ever smelled before, and she had to fight down the urge to retch up everything she'd eaten for what felt like the past week. Her effort had succeeded, though, and she saw an angry red line across the bare skin atop the rat's head. She turned the laser up to its highest setting and, using the bare patch for traction, traced a far more methodical path along the same line, burning into, then through, skin and bone and brain and, hopefully, the complex controlling circuitry.

Again she had to fight the urge to throw up all over as the smell changed from god-awful stench to the reek of roasted meat. Her ears received a battering similar to her nose as the rat screeched to high heaven, and as its head tilted back she nearly fell off. Desperate she stuck a hand in the one place she had for a real grip:

Into the thin line she'd burned into its skull.

Suddenly Kim felt her weight shifting again as the rat pitched forward. When she felt herself settling onto her belly, facedown atop the rat's head, she pulled her hand out, staring with a sort of detached, morbid interest at the light staining on her glove. _I kind of…expected more blood_, she thought idly, in mild shock after her latest stunt.

The rat thundered mightily as it collapsed to all fours. Kim was shaken from her perch on impact, but thankfully she only had about ten feet to fall. As she hit the ground, her legs nearly collapsed under her, and she briefly wondered why she felt so weak before it hit her.

The situation—mortal danger, life in peril, yet still managing to save the world with minimal injury to herself and others—was familiar. The method to achieve her result? Brand-new. She'd never done anything like that before; Kim was all about hands and feet and, occasionally, using her gadgets in a fight to gain an edge. This, though, was one of the few times she'd actually inflicted significant harm to a target. The last fight with these rats was another…and as that memory returned, she _did _fall to her knees. Those rats had died, and while they were only rats, the point was that Kim had taken their lives. It had been necessary…but that didn't mean it was something to feel good about.

Then she looked up, and saw the rat she'd just fought eyeing her with something like disdain. And then it started to…shrink? Fold up? Something was happening, and it was losing size quickly. In fact, as she stared, it rapidly lost mass until it was merely a normal-sized lab rat, albeit one with a thin, perfect line burned across the top of its head.

Kim winced as she watched, but the rat did not keel over. In fact, it just kind of wandered away, paying her absolutely no mind. She blinked…before she realized where she'd been located on the rat's head. Her mother would be _so _proud of her.

The rat, while still giant, mutant, and a killer cyborg, had undergone a perfectly normal, perfectly successful frontal lobotomy. Kim's laser had essentially vaporized part of its behavioral center, as well as disrupting or destroying part of the cybernetics controlling it…and its size, apparently. Somehow.

More thundering footsteps snapped her out of her stupor just in time to see Shego fly back before she impacted the ground. Kim's breath caught in her throat before she saw that Shego was still on her feet, even if she _were _sliding backwards rapidly. Eventually, though, Shego got her momentum under control. With a yell she leapt back at the GMKCR she was battling. The rat itself sported several burn marks on its fur and skin, and smoke wafted gently up from other places where the fur apparently still smoldered.

Kim thought fast. Shego was inflicting damage, yes…but at this rate the other two rats would be long past them and into the rest of the city by the time that they felled this one. She knew she could repeat her tactic, but that took precious time, too…time they didn't have, if the path of destruction ahead of them was any indication.

Kim ran over to where Shego fought the other rat and chose a moment to yell at the other woman. "Shego!" she screamed. "Hurry it up!"

Shego looked over her shoulder, her hair bouncing in time with her shifting body weight as she went from foot to foot. "Going as fast as I can, Kimmie," she yelled back. "It's like trying to blast through a mountain!"

Kim's frustration with the sitch bubbled up. She almost wished she had Ron nearby; he would have been able to distract the rats from their job…but then, she wouldn't have anyone to help with dealing with four of them. It was an even trade, she supposed, though she wished there were two of each of them to match the four rats. Heck, even having the Tweebs around would have made an—

Wait!

"Shego!" she called. "Try and trip one again!"

The green woman shot Kim a look, her expression clearly screaming "What the fuck?" even though she didn't open her mouth, but when she saw Kim's face she shut up and did as she was told.

Kim wasn't even aware of it, but she'd slipped into a facial look not unlike Shego's default: her mouth was twisted down into a scowl, and her eyebrows were drawn together in thought.

In fact, she looked about as civil as one Bonnie Rockwaller. Shego vaguely knew of Kim's high school cheerleading rival, and how there wasn't a lot of good relation between them. She filed the comparison away for later.

Instead of snarking back, then, she shot a two-handed blast under the rat and knocked it over, all sixty feet of it. The road was in much worse shape than the rat itself, victim of Shego's superheated plasma energy, but at least she'd accomplished her goal. "Now what?" she called over to her Fearless Leader.

"Aim for its forehead," Kim answered. "Not to blow it up…Just blast it. A few times, if you have to. If I'm right…we'll be able to mop these guys up quickly."

Shego shrugged and bounded up and across the rat, a grand leap from its gut to its shoulder getting her into position. She charged up another blast and let fly, and the rat howled as her green fire impacted.

Nothing else happened.

Shego shrugged and shot again. More nothing. She fired a final time…and_this _time she leapt away in shock.

The rat began to shrink.

It featured a nice, round black spot on its forehead from repeated blasts with several high-temperature plasma blasts, but otherwise looked mostly unharmed.

"What the _hell _just happened?" Shego asked, dumbfounded, as Kim strode up beside her.

"Are you okay?" Kim asked. Hey, she had her own priorities.

"Huh? Oh, fine, Princess," Shego answered. "I'm just a little beaten, bruised, battered, and confused as all _fuck _as why me shooting it in the forehead made it shrivel up."

"Your plasma," Kim answered matter-of-factly as she grabbed Shego's arm and dragged her off toward the remaining two rats.

In spite of her bruising battle, Shego kept pace with Kim as they tracked the rogue GMKCRs down. "And what does my plasma have to do with shrinking rats?"

"EMI," Kim replied.

Shego sighed. Apparently Kim was operating on "difficult" mode. "Aaaaand…" she drawled.

"Between the force of impact and the electro-magnetic interference your plasma generates, it disrupts the cybernetics inside the rat's heads. Apparently they control how the rats stay that size, or something."

Shego just stared. "You…are such a nerd," she stated simply. "How did you figure all that out?"

"_I'm_a nerd?" Kim echoed. "How 'bout you, Miss 'I'll shoot just the right spot to knock them over'?"

Shego opened her mouth to reply, then shut it again. "Not important," she argued instead. _Damn girl's too smart for her own good._"Anyway, why don't you apply all your nerdiness to taking those two down?" She jerked a thumb at the rats in question. "And why do you even have the Nerdlinger along, when you can take over his job?"

"Shego!" Kim protested. She'd begun blushing when Shego first called her a nerd. Besides, _she _wasn't the nerd—or so she thought. She just lived around a bunch of them, like her father. And the Tweebs. And, yes, Wade was a nerd, though he was too much of a friend to ever say that to his face… "If you _have _to know, my brothers tried to duplicate your powers once. It wasn't so successful; we had a ten-foot hole in our backyard for weeks. Ten feet in all dimensions. Even the fourth. They said the plasma's EMI messed up the electric container. I figured, since you _can_control yours, we could try and use it to mess up the rats."

"I'll say," Shego agreed. "Some serious messing-up occurred over there." She cracked her knuckles and grinned, the expression downright evil. "And I think some more's going to be coming quickly. Now that I know, Princess, we can finish this easy."

Kim nodded, relieved that Shego'd apparently dropped the nerd statements. She was wrong—oh so wrong—but she wouldn't find that out until much later.

Shego was absolutely correct in her assessment, though; using the buildings around her, she ascended to eye level with the GMKCRs and stood her ground on another building ledge, similar to how she and Kim had begun the encounter. She spread her feet apart. Flaring her hands, she placed her left hand on her right elbow joint before raising her right arm straight out. Hand curled into a fist, she steadied her aim as she concentrated the plasma in her hand, charging it to nearly lethal levels of heat and energy. With a grunt she loosed the super-charged blast, and her timing proved accurate, almost lethally so; the shot smashed into the rat's head, snapping its head back. The kinetic force toppled the rat over backwards, but it was already shrinking as it fell; by the time it hit the ground it was merely six and a half feet tall and shrinking quickly, which meant that Shego avoided the collateral damage she was half-afraid would happen.

Kim clapped her hands as the rat fell and shrank, cheering Shego on. She was quite pleased to see things working for the better; for a short time she was actually afraid that the Bad Guys were going to get away with "it."

Whatever "it" was. She wasn't even sure anymore; wanton destruction didn't fit the _modus operandi_ of _any _of her former foes. Most wanted to rule the world; DNAmy was the only exception. She was just nuts.

She tossed her ruminations aside as the last surviving GMKCR turned toward Shego and charged. The former villainess leapt backwards, away from the lumbering super-rodent, aiming for the shortest distance she could find.

A hefty breeze in front of her signaled the passage of the gigantic rat's paw, and she turned her head to see the rat _still _coming after her.

Shego smirked. Either she was too much of a threat to the rat's survival for it to let her be, or whoever was controlling them thought so. Being considered more dangerous than Kimmie made her feel…smug.

Kim watched nervously as Shego danced and dodged around the rat's swipes. She knew that, were that _her _in that position, she'd have long since started to tire. She just hoped that Shego had more energy than that.

Shego tossed off a plasma blast at the leg of the rat following her. It impacted, splashing its heat and energy across the animal's haunch. The rat hesitated, but only for a second, before slamming its foot down again.

That second was all Shego needed to get clear. She shot again, and again, each hitting the same spot as the first. She actually landed enough energy in the same place to start a small fire. The blaze—as vibrantly green in color as Shego's energy—quickly spread, enveloping the entire leg before starting to spread up the abdomen.

The rat began to panic; as this was Shego's plasma, it was a good deal hotter than any _normal _fire would be. In fact, that was the only reason it had caught in the first place. The heat was evaporating the surface layers of gunk from the rat, leaving the molecularly-bonded, now-vulnerable hairs to go up in smoke. As the GMKCR flailed about in boiling agony, another well-timed shot to its forehead blasted it back, and it shrank quickly as the delicate cybernetics inside failed from the electromagnetic interference. In fact, it seemed to fall quicker than its brethren…and since the fire was deprived of its fuel almost instantly, it snuffed out, leaving a small cooked lab rat in place of the giant engine of destruction.

Kim ran over to Shego, who was panting heavily. She pulled up just short of running the other girl over, instead staring at her. "Are you okay?" Kim asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'll be fine," Shego said dismissively. "I didn't overdo it this time. See? Still conscious, still talking?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Look, Kimmie," Shego interrupted, "really, I'll be okay. Just gimme a few to get back onto my feet and all this'll be behind us."

"If you say so," Kim said, sounding like she didn't quite believe her. And really, she didn't, but Shego was also _Shego_, and would probably still fight Kim to a standstill even in her current exhausted state if Kim pressed any further. So she busied herself instead with trying to find the rats in question while her partner recovered.

She'd managed to collect three of them, including the one she'd brain-fried, when a sickening squishing sound and a high-pitched squeal alerted her that three would probably be _all _she would find.

"Hey, Princess," came Shego's voice from somewhere a ways away. "Was that what I thought it was?"

Kim immediately quashed any thoughts that Shego would have stepped on the last rat. She actually felt a bit guilty for suspecting something like that. "I've only got three rats in my hand, so if you don't have one…"

"Ah." If Kim didn't know any better, she thought Shego's reply sounded…squeamish. But Shego didn't gross out, Kim knew. Oh, sure, some things might disgust her, like Drakken's clones melting into goo, but she'd never once seen Shego go queasy.

Kim went back to where Shego was sitting on the edge of an overturned piece of concrete, ostensibly from a building the rats had crushed. Already she looked tons better than she had, Kim saw as she held the rats by the tail for Shego to see. "I want to have Wade scan these guys, see if he can figure out how they tick. Don't you think it's weird that they shrank again?"

Shego shrugged. "If we're right about who's behind this—and between us, how often are we wrong?—it's probably Drakken, screwing something up again. The guy can't take over the world to save his life."

Kim grinned. "No, but he can _save _it to save his life. Funny how that works."

"Don't remind me," Shego grimaced. Then: "Alright, Pumpkin. My place or yours?"

"Um…well, if we go back to my dorm, we still have to stop for groceries or whatnot," she warned.

Shego shrugged. "Fair enough. So the question stands. Where are we going?"

"You okay to drive in your condition?"

"Kimmie, I told you I'm _fine_. Right now I'm just really hungry. That's why I'm asking."

"Fine!" Kim gave up, exasperated. Trying to show concern for Shego was like…like…like trying to show concern for your worst enemy!

The irony of that thought was lost on Kim.

"Your place it is," Shego decided. She heaved herself up off her perch. "I'm ready when you are."

Kim nodded and followed her, activating her wrist Kimmunicator as they walked. "Wade, I need a place to drop off some of these rats for you to check out."

Her tech guru blinked in some shock. "Um…okay," he said, fingers beginning to fly as his brain checked back in. "You _captured _the rats?"

"Yeah," she affirmed, holding the handful up for him to see. "We found something about this batch—"

"We? Oh, right, your help. Who _did _help you, anyway?"

"What, you weren't watching?" Kim teased.

Wade actually looked offended, but he disrupted the look with a grin. "Place to drop off…got it. I've got a quick-transport sled hidden in a post-office box not far from your position. I'll mark it on your GPS."

"You rock, Wade. Let me know what you find." She signed off and looked up at Shego, who was waiting expectantly for her. With something of a sheepish grin Kim trotted the rest of the way over.

Shego straddled a fancy-looking sport motorcycle; at first glance, Kim had thought it wouldn't hold two people, no matter how little either weighed. However, the bike had proved, just like its owner, much tougher than it looked. They'd made record time on the way down, and while Kim screamed her head off as Shego zipped and dodged through traffic like it was a game of sorts, by the time they'd arrived and found their perch, she'd wanted to go again. And it looked like she was going to get her chance, even if they weren't nearly in as much of a rush.

She took the proffered helmet and stuck it over her head, then climbed on the small passenger seat behind Shego, putting her arms around the other woman's waist. Shego was warmer than usual, probably with the exertion of all the acrobatics and blasting she'd done to take down the rats—which reminded Kim.

"Hey," she said, flipping the visor on her helmet up. "I thought you didn't want to do the hero thing."

She felt, more than heard, Shego grunt a laugh. "I don't know that I'll have much of a choice, Pumpkin, if I hang out with you. You just get into too much trouble…and I _like _trouble."

"You _are _trouble," Kim said playfully, but she tightened her hold around Shego for just a second before the other woman kicked the bike into gear. They shot off…sadly, not into the sunset, as they were headed due north.

* * *

A/N: Eh. Didn't like this chapter very much…but I'll see what you guys all say. Oh, and please, _please_, leave critical reviews. I know I'm not a perfect author, but the only way I can improve what I write is when people tell me. Otherwise I see what I see and it looks okay to me. I need to know what looks okay to _you. _

Um. Next chapter _might _be a little late, what with the holiday and all coming up…but if I'm inspired enough (and have enough time…) it might be up as early as next Friday. We'll see, I suppose. I need to stay off City of Heroes and stay in Word, I think.


	12. Chapter 12: Temporary Reprieve

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 12

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: I'm sorry. In spite of my best efforts and some other not-entirely-ethical moves on my part, I _still _don't own Kim Possible and friends.

* * *

One of the many saving graces of Go University is that many of the basic needs of its students are taken care of by the school itself. For those needs that remain unfulfilled, the area immediately surrounding it could easily be considered a typical "college town," in the same way that the University of Michigan has Ann Arbor, University of Rochester has…well, Rochester, and the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters has Salem, New York. 

Though everyone knew that last one was merely fictional.

It was in this "college town" capacity that Kim found herself clinging to Shego's back as they rocketed through the streets of Go City. She lost count of the number of vehicles they passed and wove through and around, the number of vegetarian/vegan stores, the number of hemp-based product stores, the number of organic foodstuff stores, the number of sushi restaurants, the number of people walking around on foot, and the number of times she almost screamed from pure adrenaline and sensory overload. In fact, at the moment, she was probably not quite able to count anything except for the number of times Shego cussed someone out for stupid driving. _That_, some small part of her mind thought, was ironic in the extreme.

Finally she felt their momentum cease, and she dared to actually look forward. She nearly fell off the bike in relief when she saw their present location.

"Welcome to Smarty-Mart, the absolute savior of college students far and wide," Shego proclaimed as she doffed her helmet and shook her hair loose. Kim could only marvel at how, in spite of their high-speed initial travel and then the acrobatic maneuvering of the speed bike through the crowded streets, Shego's mane of black hair remained mostly undisturbed. It was probably, she considered, because there was just so _much _of it that the wind could do nothing.

Shego grinned at Kim as they both dismounted. Kim's hair was a bit wild, but the real frazzled look came from her eyes. "Did I scare you, Princess?"

Kim's wild-eyed look locked with Shego's own eyes. She didn't answer for a second or three, but then she broke into the most enthusiastic grin Shego had ever seen. "Let's do that again!"

Shego blinked—the response wasn't quite unexpected, but the energy behind it was—but gathered herself and smirked back in response. "Fear not, we will." With a grand flourish of an imaginary cape she spun around back toward the shopping center. "Come, my Princess," she said, as dramatically as possible. "Your subjects await your inspection of their goods."

Kim didn't stop laughing until they were well inside.

* * *

Aisle after aisle of low-priced consumer-pleasing commercial goodness stood before Kim and Shego as they entered, and she had to admit—this particular location looked far nicer than its fellow in Middleton. Of course, that may also have been because Kim was pretty desperate to stock her dorm. She may not have had Ron's culinary expertise, but after the disaster that was her home-ec class back at Middleton High and how Ron had saved her from potentially huge amounts of embarrassment, she felt reasonably confident that she could at least craft something edible, if not a seeming masterpiece every time she took to the kitchen. No, that was Ron's forte, and if the sensation that was the naco was any indication, he was destined for great things in that regard. 

She smirked inwardly. Ron might even give Emeril and the like a run for their money. And with his Mystical Monkey Powers, as chaotic as they were…well, look out, Iron Chef.

Shego watched Kim space out for a moment as they entered and assumed that she was simply amazed by the quality and quantity of all the products contained within Smarty Mart's four-walls-and-a-ceiling. _Actually, now that I think about it, it's been a long time since _I _was last here_. Idly she wondered if it was still laid out like she remembered.

Kim returned to reality and Shego realized she had her chance to find out. "C'mon, Princess," she said, grabbing Kim's hand and half-dragging, half-coaxing her along. "We've got stuff to find." She made a beeline for the back of the store, turned right as she passed the end of the aisle, and stopped short when a sign proclaimed they had entered Produce Country. Shego nodded. "Yep, they haven't changed the layout at all."

Nabbing a convenient shopping basket Shego began to pick out various items for both cooking and regular consumption. Kim watched her work; it was actually slightly disconcerting, since she'd never seen Shego acting so...domestic before. The weirdness factor only increased as she watched Shego weave between various other shoppers without a care in the world. She kept at it like she'd driven her motorcycle earlier, just without the high-speed adrenaline rush. For Kim, watching Shego was mesmerizing, especially since she was doing it with affection and not trepidation and anxiousness.

Then something else struck her. Shego was being domestic, yes…but the one jarring note was that she was still in her black-and-green jester-styled catsuit. If there could be any doubts as to her identity in spite of the pale green skin and long, thick black hair, the outfit laid them to rest.

And yet…Not a single person showed any sign of recognition that Kim could see. Or rather, if they did, they hid it well. No one made any move to point an accusing finger, to call for help or the police, to have Shego snapped up by law enforcement before she could even think to touch another vegetable. It was, to Kim, surreal.

The rest of their trip to Smarty Mart passed much the same way, except Shego handed Kim the stuffed-to-the-brim basket. Kim sighed, knowing what was coming, and when they proceeded to the checkout she dug out her wallet. She was glad she'd taken it in the pocket of her mission pants, as she didn't have anything else in which to carry it, and leaving at home would be…inadvisable. As they were ringing up Kim could almost swear she saw the cashier—and the bagger, too—shoot Shego covert winks, but she didn't have any proof.

All that meant that Kim had a burning question that she couldn't wait to ask. Sadly, she _had _to wait, as they went outside, Kim holding both plastic bags full of groceries, one in each hand, and donned their helmets. Shego climbed on the bike and helped Kim on as well, telling her to hold the bags in the crooks of her elbows. They'd help with balance, and holding them higher would keep the bags from hitting the ground or getting tangled in the bike. Kim wasn't sure she believed it, but did as she was told anyway. She_ was _a passenger, after all, and while they may have been within walking distance of the dorms, that was a long walk and Kim wasn't interested in staying on her feet _that _much longer.

The drive home was much more sedate than before, almost uncharacteristically so. It was yet one more piece of evidence that Shego had an actual human side to her, not just the cranky, sarcastic, supremely confident villainess front she'd worn for so long. Kim kind of marveled at the change, but she definitely liked it. Given how things had gone with the GMKCRs earlier, she also knew the current change wasn't a permanent alteration, just a different side to the enigma of a woman she'd known for going on five years.

Shego offered to prepare dinner, as both were starving, and Kim readily acquiesced. While they ate, Kim asked the question that had been buzzing around her brain for the last few hours.

"Shego, you're still wanted in, like, a dozen countries, right?"

"Fourteen, last I checked," the green woman shrugged. "Why?"

"Well…I was just wondering how you could afford to be so out-in-the-open earlier, especially in your catsuit."

Shego blinked, chewed, swallowed, took a drink of water, and smiled. The grin was downright conspiratorial. "Anywhere but home, and I _would_ be paranoid about being out in public."

Kim thought on the cryptic answer for a second. "So…why aren't you paranoid here? Is it because this's your hometown?"

It was Shego's turn to think. She pondered letting Kim in on the Great Go City Secret. She wasn't worried about Kim letting the secret out; she knew Kim could keep one safe, given that the smaller hero hadn't told _her _about coming to college here, in spite of their budding friendship, until a few days before she'd actually moved into the dorm. On the other hand…she risked Kim turning jaded against her, or her city, or both. She might have been able to fool herself a few weeks ago into thinking it wouldn't be such a big idea, having Kim not trust her, but now…it would be akin to Shego's parents basically disowning her. As much as she would seem not to care on the surface, inside it would hurt like hell, and she knew it.

Then she thought of how Kim had apparently decided to trust her completely and implicitly, and she decided she owed her that much in return.

_Nuts_, she thought with a wry mental grin, _when did I start to admit I owe anyone anything?_

"Well, Princess," Shego began, "that's partly it. See, it kinda goes…deeper than that."

"Deeper?" Kim echoed. She sounded skeptical. "How?"

"It's like this: Back in the time when I was with Team Go, we were actually pretty good at our jobs. Like you, I guess—there weren't many times when the Bad Guys got away." Kim smiled at her, and Shego couldn't help but return the gesture. "Yeah, yeah. No sappy for me, I'm warning you. Anyway, when I left and struck out on my own, the team kinda…fell apart. Hego, overbearing prick that he is, couldn't keep everyone else in line enough, and they just kinda gave up listening to him. To which might I add, I say good on 'em." She nodded once.

"Does_ anyone _not pick on Hego?" Kim asked. She'd met the big blue boy a few times, and as is often the case with two Type-A personalities, they grated on each other. Each was used to giving orders and having them followed. _Kinda like me and Will Du_, she reflected.

"Last I knew, your buffoon boy didn't, though that may have only been because Hego manages a Bueno Nacho."

"And even then Ron got on his case because they didn't do the naco," Kim reminded her.

Shego shivered. "A fucking _disgusting_ abomination of fast food-ness. I'm surprised it caught on…Did you know, I was _so_ tempted to just…relieve him of his royalty checks when they started coming in?"

Kim blinked. "You knew he made those up?"

"Doy, Kimmie," Shego said with a lazy grin. "Remember, Dr. D, Li'l Diablos, and so on?"

"Right, right," Kim answered, putting a hand to her forehead, fork still between her fingers. "Don't remind me."

"I had to," Shego sassed. "Otherwise you'd never have remembered."

Kim glared at her. "Continue, please."

"Sure, sure," Shego said, the grin still in place. "Oh, and I didn't take his checks because I wanted to see just what sort of stupid-assed things he was going to do with the money he'd get. I had enough material for a few weeks' worth of blackmail." She waved it off with her fork-holding hand. "Anyway…" She stopped and stared at Kim. "Where was I?"

"Left Team Go, fell apart…"

"Right, thanks," Shego replied, spearing another bite with her fork before continuing. "Anyway, it was almost right away that I started doing the evil thing. And let me tell you, it was a blast. Think about it! No one telling you what to do, no pesky laws to get in the way of doing your thing, just you and your skills. I tell ya, Pumpkin, if you'd been in my shoes, I think you'd have made an excellent thief. Almost as good as me."

"No, thanks," Kim said, though she blushed lightly from the praise. She could tell Shego wasn't being arrogant in her appraisal—Kim just didn't have a few of the things Shego did. Super powers topped the list, though Kim didn't doubt that Shego being slightly larger allowed her to do some pretty amazing feats of flexibility and athleticism. Kim had seen some…and was looking forward to seeing just what _other _ways she could put those talents to use.

The sudden thought made her blush even deeper. _Ghaa…since when do I think X-rated?_

Shego raised an eyebrow at the sudden coloration, but said nothing of it. The way Kim was looking everywhere except at her told her everything. Inside she was grinning slyly, but outside she kept her expression calm.

"Anyway—there's that word again—along comes Dr. D, then you and the buffoon, and poof, things aren't as easy anymore. Of course, when we start making the news, you and me, the crowd here goes wild."

"Really?"

"Kimmie, I know you don't like to think about it, but you're famous. People love you. In fact, you could probably go just about anywhere and have at least _someone _recognize you. It wouldn't surprise me to see rabid fangirls here and there clamoring to have you sign your name or something." She let loose her trademark smirk as Kim turned red again. "The sad thing is, around here, I'm the same way."

"You want my autograph?"

Shego bonked Kim on the forehead. "No, you One-Woman Geek Squad. Around here, I'm famous, too. And the fact that neither of us really ever_ defeated _the other…well, it's something of a point of pride here, twisted as it may seem, that I'm your nemesis, and that you haven't beaten me yet."

"Hey, you haven't beaten me, either," Kim protested, rubbing her forehead. "And I'm not a geek squad."

"Sure you are, Miss 'I can scramble rat brains with your plasma, from the outside!'"

"Hey! It worked, didn't it?"

"Sure did, Geek Squad. That doesn't mean you're not a geek for having the idea."

"Just—oh, never mind," Kim huffed. She _had _to change the subject. "So nobody turns you in because you've got a huge, loyal fanbase here in your home town."

"That's about the gist of it, Princess," Shego confirmed, and Kim settled a bit at the more familiar nickname. She still hadn't heard Shego use her real name, though, she thought. "But you're right, I haven't beaten you either. That's why the 'support,' if you can call it that, is so underground."

"I guess I can see that." She shrugged. "Well, I _hope _you feel like you can relax with me. I'm not turning you in any time soon, either."

Shego knew that, had known that for some time, and yet she still felt like some weight had just fallen from her shoulders. "Thanks, Kimmie," she said quietly. "I…I think I needed to hear that."

Kim saw her second (in order of time, not extent) best friend in the universe choke up slightly and instantly went for some sort of damage control. She got out of her chair and moved around the small table to behind Shego, draping her arms around the other woman's neck and hugging her from behind.

Shego pressed a hand to where Kim's arms crossed around her neck and leaned her head back into Kim's chest. It was a very comfortable position.

Kim rested her chin on the crown of Shego's head. "Shego," she said, equally as quietly as the other's last words, "there's definitely something between us, and if last night was any indication, we both know it and want it. Part of what that 'something' is is trust…and I want you to trust me. There are so many things about you that I don't know, and I really want to, not because of obsession but because I care."

Suddenly things clicked for Kim. That feeling that she'd had the day before—the feeling that she couldn't quite call love because it didn't _feel _like love—rose from its dormant state, just below the surface, and popped into conscious awareness. And it fit—she _knew_, now, what was missing, and that that piece had been added. It wasn't so much that she didn't think, or know, that she loved Shego; it was more like she was eminently satisfied with her choice. For Kim, despite all her earlier bravado about not caring for what other people thought of her being together with another woman, she'd always harbored some small bit of trepidation, had a small reservoir of fear over the public outcry and shunning that would accompany such an announcement. And yet, in spite of all the negativity that might accompany that message, she wouldn't trade her current position for all the world, for all the goodwill she'd built up with having saved the place countless times; in fact, she'd be willing to trade that goodwill for some peace and quiet with her…well, what word would she use? Friend? Girlfriend? Confidante? Lover?

She decided to try and ask. "Shego," she said again, into the pleasant silence, "what are we?"

Shego, who'd felt Kim's arms begin to tighten after the standing girl had stopped speaking, squeezed Kim's arm with her hand. "What do you mean, 'what are we'?" she responded. "I'd think it was obvious, given the circumstances."

"But…what can I call you? I mean, it seems like it's going so fast, but also that we were a long time coming, but you're the first girl I've ever loved like this, but—"

"Wait a second," Shego said. She pried Kim's arms loose, but didn't remove them from her neck. She turned in her seat so she was staring up at Kim. "First girl you've what?"

Kim looked down into those green eyes that resembled her own in so many ways, and yet were subtly different—just like the rest of the two of them, she decided. "Loved," she repeated in a whisper. She smiled tentatively. "I love you."

Two things happened to Shego: she felt simultaneously like she was going to explode from happiness, and yet fear rose up right behind it. "Kim," she said seriously, and the slender girl noted the use of her actual name, "you…you can't. I…we…can't."

"And why not?" demanded Kim, privately a bit shocked that Shego, of all people, was being reticent. "I can't stop this, turn it off. I love you, and that's all there is to it."

"Because!" Shego retorted with some heat. Strangely, though, despite the small argument, neither had tried to move away from the other. "Because it just can't happen. Kim, you're a hero to the world. If they see you hook up with another woman, and one who used to be a bad guy at that, they'll destroy you. You can't be happy with me."

"Didn't I tell you this before?" Kim returned. "That if I had to choose between us and saving the world, the choice was obvious?"

"Yeah, but…" Shego looked away uneasily. "Look. You can't just turn away from all that for me. Hell, you've got to _stop _me from being evil. Add to that, that you can go anywhere and I can't leave here…"

Kim silenced her by removing one arm from around Shego's neck and placing a finger on her lips. "Didn't you just tell me last night that you weren't going anywhere?"

Guiltily, Shego nodded. She still couldn't meet Kim's eyes, and the irritation at being shushed was nothing compared to potentially ruining Kim's life. In spite of her tough-girl image and how much she enjoyed maintaining it, Shego preferred not to think of what would happen to her should she succeed in breaking her Princess somehow.

Once again she was struck by that thought. It used to be that she actively sought moments like this, times when she had power over the smaller girl and could potentially crush her—not physically, of course. Where would the fun in that be, never being able to fight someone your equal again? No, more like what Shego was currently _afraid _of doing—of crushing Kim's career, ruining all the cheerleader stood for and enjoyed doing for the world.

Kim, though, had apparently no fears in that regard. "Good girl. Now, I'm stuck here for four years anyway. Whether the world likes it or not, I _am _going to finish school. Maybe even Global Justice can take over. That's what they're there for, isn't it?" She passed over the rhetorical question without even waiting to see if Shego nodded. "Now. You helped me out today, even when you said before that Hell would freeze over first. Well, not in so many words, but…I know that's what you meant. I don't think that means I have to stop you." She smiled slightly. "And I won't be turning away from my world-saving completely. Even if everyone thinks I'm a horrible person for being with you, I'll do what I can. Besides…I'd much rather be happy with you and ostracized, than be _without _you and in good public esteem."

That made Shego smile a little. "Didn't know you could be so callous, Princess," she said, some of her normal dryness returning.

"Yes, well, _some _people aren't immune to the influence of those around them," she returned easily.

Shego chuckled. "Speak for yourself."

"I am," Kim retorted. She crouched down to hug Shego, a gesture the green-skinned woman returned easily.

Primary fears abated, or at least set aside, the ex-villainess said to Kim, "And if you're still interested, you can say we're girlfriends."

"'Kay," Kim answered. She leaned in for a quick kiss. "Um, are you going to…stay here again tonight?" she asked, the last few words out in a rush.

Shego smirked when she saw Kim's face turning slightly red yet again. "If you want me to," she answered, "though we don't have to repeat last night if you don't want to."

"I…well…" Kim flushed even deeper. "Not…tonight. Sorry…"

Shego draped an arm across Kim's shoulders, then stood up herself, pulling the adventurer up with her. "Nothing to be sorry for, Kimmie," Shego answered. It appeared everything was back to normal with her, from Kim's perspective—and indeed, Shego's little crisis was already but a distant memory in her own mind. "In spite of everything, I _am _female. I know no means no."

Kim grinned. "Hey, you can't rape the willing."

Shego cocked an eyebrow at her. "My, my, Kimmie," she said, sounding almost proud. "You're improving."

* * *

Once again, as darkness claimed more and more windows in the dormitory, Shego and Kim climbed into the small bed, clothed this time, and allowed the night to catch up to them as well. Only a scant few minutes after the lights went out Kim felt Shego's breathing slow to a steady tempo that meant she was fairly heavily asleep already._ And for good reason_, Kim thought, reflecting on the antics of the day. 

She smiled hugely when she heard Shego shift and felt the older girl latch onto her, murmuring something in her rest. It sounded suspiciously like a term of endearment that Shego would probably never be caught dead using if she were awake.

"…my Kimmie…" she'd said, almost petulantly, as if someone were trying to take a stuffed animal away from a small child. About the only thing that could make Kim happier was hearing Shego say she loved her, too...but Kim figured it would take something far more momentous to make the green woman ever admit such a thing.

At least, while she was still conscious.

* * *

Again three shady figures watched a video feed; again they collectively cursed Kim Possible, and this time they threw in some incredulous disbelief that Shego, villainous sidekick and otherwise selfish thief, was actively helping the annoying cheerleader. It wasn't coincidental this time; they'd arrived together, worked as a team, and left together. 

DNAmy was first. "My rats!" she wailed. "Why'd they shrink? What happened to them? Why did they catch fire so easily?"

"Calm yourself, fraulein," Helmut Demenz, also known as Professor Dementor, told Amy. "It appears, in our attempts at fixing the weaknesses in our previous design, we introduced new ones."

"Precisely," said a still-eerily-calm Dr. Drew Theodore P. "Drakken" Lipsky. "We must devise a new technique for ridding ourselves of Kim Possible…and her new sidekick." His face relaxed into something approaching sorrow. "Oh, Shego! Why did you betray me? I thought we were a little evil family! I gave you all I could…" He seemed to not remember—deliberately or otherwise—the fact that Shego had, rather flippantly, told him she was done some time ago. The point had been driven home by her incinerating her contract with him…an inch and a half from his face.

While Drakken pined away for the loss of the only functional part of his previous existence, Dementor and Amy both felt a private bit of relief at Drakken's usual behavior resurfacing. It was far less intimidating than the serious, calm, and almost methodical face the "good" doctor had had since he'd first approached them with his plan.

When it was obvious Drakken had finished, Dementor cleared his throat. "Well, Herr Doctor, we seem to have hit something of a road block."

Drakken finally stopped his whining. "Don't remind me," he said snippily. Apparently it was going to take him a little while to regain his ultra-smooth façade. "Why is it that whenever my plans come into contact with Kim Possible, she _always _wins?"

_Maybe because your plans are always nonsense, _both Amy and Dementor thought; both of them completely missed the fact that _their_ own plans didn't survive contact with their mutual enemy, either.

Neither voiced that opinion aloud, though, allowing Drakken to continue ranting. "My rats can't hurt her, my rays can't touch her, my traps can't hold her…and yet I must remove her to rule the world! Curse you, Kim Possible! You think you're all that, but you can't be!"

His short tirade seemingly over, Drakken lapsed into sullen silence. Dementor and Amy exchanged another look before Amy cleared her throat. "But Drakky-wakky," she began, and Dementor hid a shudder at the term of endearment, "you just said that these are all tests, until we get the data we need to put her away once and for all. Now we just need to figure out how to best combine what we learned last time with what we learned this time, right?"

The blue (in more than one sense) mad scientist perked up. "Right…right! You are absolutely correct! This is no time to be moping about. Quickly, bring up the tape again. We may just need to figure out how the…" His voice trailed into mutterings of various aspects, and Amy joined him; after all, it was her responsibility to continue to improve the rats at a basic level before any other alterations were made, and that included altering the sebaceous secretions that had ignited so readily under Shego's plasma the last time.

Dementor cleared his throat. "Herr Doctor, Frau Hall, there is one more issue."

Drakken paused in his _sotto voce _soliloquy to look up at Dementor. "Yes?"

"Did you not realize how quickly Kim Possible arrived at the scene today?"

Drakken frowned. Amy couldn't be bothered with anything; she was too busy considering various parts of the rat's genome to alter. "What about that?" Drakken asked.

"Perhaps we needn't worry with this grand scheme after all," Dementor ventured.

The reaction was, of course, explosive. Amy, eventually, processed what he had said and turned in surprise; Drakken, though, looked positively baffled and angry. "Are you going soft, Professor Dementor?" he sneered. "You don't see a need to do away with this source of constant annoyance, the one thing that stands in our path to rule?"

Dementor tried not to let his irritation show. "If you would let me _finish _before insulting me, perhaps you would realize I want that as much as you do," he growled.

Drakken continued to frown, but didn't push.

"Better," the shorter villain said. "Now. If you watch the timestamp on our video, you will notice she appears a scant eight minutes after we enlarged our rats. That is far too quickly for her usual times, even though this is only Go City and not, say, Timbuktu." He crossed his arms. "Either she had advanced warning, or she did not come from Middleton."

Drakken's frown turned from angry to thoughtful. Much as he didn't like working with the stout German professor, the little guy had a point. "We do know this is Shego's home town…perhaps she was in for a visit, since they seem to be awfully chummy now."

The evil trio mulled that over for a moment before Dementor said, "She _did _just turn eighteen."

"So?"

With a sigh, the German continued. "She is just starting college, Herr Doctor. Which means she is most likely attending Go University, given the data we have."

"Go U," Amy echoed thoughtfully.

"Thank you," Dementor replied. Amy looked confused—but then, he figured, the only time she didn't was when she was working on her pet projects, pardon the pun. "Anyway, assuming that's correct, we could always send something to the university to deal with her. It wouldn't even have to be the rats—it could be something small, like an insect, or maybe…"

The other two listened as he continued to outline a new plan. Eventually they began to offer their input as well, forming a workable idea from the various thoughts and snippets they brought forth.

* * *

Shego awoke alone again. 

_Dammit,_ she cursed mentally as she rolled onto her back, an arm across her eyes. _How is it that I actually miss body heat?_ An ebon eyebrow quirked as she thought of something else. _Or how is it that I miss having her to lean on?_

Strangely enough, Shego felt like she was only just now coming to the realization that she was actually involved with her one-time arch nemesis. Oh, sure, there had been some intellectual recognizance of the fact, but having it actually sink in, make the emotional attachment, and stay there? That part was really just now happening.

It almost made her want to cry.

She blew out a long sigh, fully awake now, and fought down the urge to weep. She really, _really _didn't want to do that—even if no one saw her. In Shego's mind, it meant she was weak, unable to cope with whatever brought on the situation. In fact, if she could avoid said situation entirely, so much the better—and that was the line of thinking that had led so many in the past to assume she was a cold-hearted, uncaring bitch.

_Don't make people's problems your own, focus on yourself and what you can do for yourself, and above all don't make people's problems your own,_ she found herself repeating. It was a code she'd developed for herself in the waning days of her own heroing, when the pressure of what other people wanted, needed, and eventually expected of her had driven her to the brink of madness. People _expected _heroes to drop whatever they were doing and come help with whatever little mundane problem arose. _Look at Kimmie_, she thought. _She started out with babysitting, then pulling cats from trees, and now saving the world. _A wry snort worked its way through her nose._It's a miracle she hasn't snapped yet. And that she graduated high school on time. And with good grades_.

Come to think of it, Kim _was _something of a walking miracle. Shego had to wonder how the girl maintained her sanity, juggling all the crap she knew Kim had done back in the day. Shego herself hadn't fared so well; instead of trying the balancing act, she'd left Team Go to finish her child development degree, gotten that done in record time, then struck out on her own. Her general apathy toward the world had developed in about junior high and only increased after that, culminating in something of a devil-may-care attitude through her last days with her brothers. Finally, she hadn't been able to take it anymore and had beaten up a random supervillain that she'd happened to come across in the middle of some heist or another. As she wasn't in uniform, she'd secretly tagged along with the man's henchmen as they returned to their lair, boss in tow; once inside she'd had herself a sneaky look around, absconding with two things: a sense of wonder as to how…similar their lifestyle was to what she wanted; and a magazine with a certain blue scientist's "Help Wanted" ad. The rest, as they say, was history.

Shego gave herself a mental shake as she climbed out of bed. Sure enough, just like yesterday, there was a note nearby from Kim, explaining about classes and how she'd be home at a later point in the day. With a shrug she jotted down her own reply to the note, just in case she wasn't present when Kim came back. She got into Kim's tiny shower and turned the water on, luxuriating in the fact that, with barely anyone else in the building, she had all kinds of hot water all to herself.

She tried not to think of anything at all while she wasted the rest of the morning; for some reason she felt like any more introspection would result in her just getting depressed, which was the last state of mind she ever wanted to be in. So instead she idled the morning hours away with nothingness before finally deciding to take care of some business.

Her first item was going home. Around lunchtime she ventured back to her old neck of the woods and found, almost thankfully, that her mother's car wasn't present. Shego assumed that meant Isabel was out with a client or something, as both of her parents rarely left unless it was business-related. She was wearing her catsuit, as it was the only thing she'd brought to Kimmie's dorm, but went without gloves again. As she grabbed the doorknob she waited patiently; the built-in biometric scanners got her entire handprint and unlocked the front door quickly. That part of her father's security system, she knew, was one of his proudest achievements. Without having a print in the system, the door wouldn't unlock, and without a keyhole to pick, it would be extraordinarily hard for a thief to defeat the several sliding-bolt locks along the length of the door itself.

Her family was far from paranoid; her father just wanted to test his designs himself.

Shego stepped inside and shut the door behind her, kicking off her boots as she made her way to her room. She didn't make it far, though, before her father's voice chased after her. "Rheann," he called, "where've you been?"

_Stupid fucking cameras_, she thought before she shouted a reply back. "Out and about."

"Okay," was the reply, which confused her a bit. He didn't even want to know where she was? How strange.

She thought nothing more of it, though, and made it to her room, wherein she gathered some of her clothing—several days' worth, in fact—into a duffel bag. There were not a lot of her own things in the room besides clothing; Shego wasn't one for many personal effects. In fact, most of what she owned aside from clothes, she kept on herself at all times—or stashed in some of her hideaways.

After a few minutes spent this way, she doffed her trademark suit and folded it up. Almost reverently she placed it on top of her other clothing. The suit's material kept it from getting too dirty and smelling too much, but it _was _due for a cleaning, she thought.

She quickly dressed again, not wanting to be caught by her parents while prancing naked around her room. She wasn't really all that ashamed of how she looked—not anymore, really, not with how Kim looked at her these last couple of days—but it would really raise more questions than she wanted to answer—even if it was only one question.

Having finished, she slung the bag over her shoulder and made her way out. She was almost there when her father's voice stopped her again.

"Rheann Cassidy, aren't you going to say bye before you leave again?"

Shego grimaced. Oh, she wasn't about to say bye before…but now, she figured, she just might. If only to have some pleasant last words before choking her father for using her name like that.

She stalked over in the direction she heard his voice coming from: his office. It was also the only room in the house with access to the displays from the various cameras around entry point he'd placed, which is how he'd known she'd arrived.

When she turned the corner and entered the doorway she was in for the shock of her life.

* * *

A/N: Holy _cow _did I have a hard time with this one. Oh well. At least now I have meat to go on for the next couple of chapters. And Kim has a new nickname…though Shego's not far behind. And Wade will return to let us know why the rats did what they did. And Ron may show up. And other stuff. And some more. And now I'll stop starting sentences with "and." 

Review, please. I know I've said it before, but reviews are how I can make things better, and I _know _they're not that great to begin with.


	13. Chapter 13: Deal or No Deal?

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 13

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Kim and everyone else in this story (with a small number of exceptions) belong to Disney. Isabel and Kane belong to StarvingLunatic, used with permission, of course. If I owned these guys, this wouldn't be fanfiction, it'd be real episodes!

Pre-story author note: I notice I've been wildly inconsistent with Shego's history. My fault; I really ought to have kept track of that. My "official" line is that she's 23 now (5 years older than Kim's good, you think?), was part of Team Go until sixteen-ish, finished her stint at Go University in two and a half years (with her criminal side coming to light around then), and thus met Kim when Shego was approximately 19, maybe 20 years old. I'll be going back to re-edit mentions of all this in earlier chapters so it stays consistent. Sorry.

* * *

Shego, in her twenty-three years, had had a lot of strange things happen around her. After all, her parents were…her parents, and every kid thinks their parents are strange in some way. Of course, it helped that Shego's _were _strange, but that would be another story. 

Then there was the comet. That should have always topped the list of strange occurrences, but over time she'd become accustomed to it and its effects.

That Kim had been able to fight her to a standstill from a time not much after they first met was another bizarre happening. Next was finding Kim attractive…then finding Kim found _her _attractive. Not that Shego found either of those exactly _distasteful_…

With all these weird things going on around her, she should have been prepared for this.

Sadly, she wasn't.

None of those times was as shocking as finding a certain Dr. Betty Director sitting in the office with Shego's father, Kane. From Shego's perspective, Kane sat to the left, the one-eyed agent of the law on the right. The various security monitors glowed softly behind her father, showing a complete lack of activity in the entire area viewed by his systems. The two of them were even having coffee.

"Rheann," Kane said, smiling as she appeared in the door, duffel bag still on her shoulder, staring at the two with an absolutely vacant expression. "We were just talking about you before you came home."

Shego's brain finally rebooted. "Oh, really," she said, her tone a mix of sarcasm and wariness. "Nothing bad, I hope?"

Dr. Director eyed her steadily; because her eye-patch was over her left eye, she had to turn to fully face Shego. "Actually, yes," she said bluntly.

Shego rolled her eyes, her mouth falling into its natural scowl. "What's the matter, GJ? Getting scared 'cause you hadn't heard anything on me in a while?"

"Actually, yes," Dr. Director replied again, which made Shego blink in confusion. The leader of Global Justice smiled thinly. "Didn't expect that? Neither did we expect you to just…vanish."

"Yeah, well," Shego fought to regain her mental footing, "I'll bet you didn't expect me to tell you this: just leave me the hell alone. I'm done with all that garbage. I'm sure you know by now that I told Dr. D off a while ago."

"Indeed," was all that Betty said. It kind of unnerved Shego; she was expecting more.

"Rheann," Kane began, "the good Doctor came in simply to—"

"I don't give a flying fuck why she came in to see you, Daddy," she interrupted. "And stop calling me that." Her temper was starting to rise, not that it needed much provocation. She wasn't stupid enough to think her father had _invited _the director over, but he could have at least turned her away at the door.

"Shego," Betty put in, and Shego felt just a _tad _better since the name was familiar, "to be perfectly blunt, we need your assistance."

Shego was starting to wonder if her system could take repeated shocks so close together. Thankfully, though, she didn't have a heart attack or a stroke. Her elevating anger vanished instantly, though. "_My _assistance."

"Yes."

"Let me get this straight. GJ wants my help?"

"That would be incorrect," Betty assured her. "_I _want your help. Whether you choose to see it as Global Justice or not, the fact remains, I'm here unofficially."

Shego took a few seconds to think things out. If Betty Director, the head of GJ, the global crime-fighting organization, came to her _personally_ for help, that meant she _couldn't_ really be there in any sort of official capacity. After all, Shego still had dozens of warrants out for her arrest. That meant that if Betty were to be "official," she'd have to come with backup and some method of arresting Shego. Otherwise Betty herself could be guilty of criminal negligence in letting such a dangerous target escape the law.

The fact remained, however, that she _was _there, claiming to be seeking Shego's help…which meant whatever GJ was dealing with was taxing Betty's resources more than she cared to admit.

Shego put her hands on her hips. "So what would I be doing, _unofficially_, for your one-eyed ass?"

Betty nodded slowly. "For one, I'll want you to work with one of our agents." She held up a hand to forestall what she figured would be Shego's forthcoming objections. "I know you claim to work better alone, but in spite of your having ditched Drakken, I can't trust that you'll agree and then not walk away."

_Hah! She don't know me very well, do she? _Outwardly, she said, "Look, Bets—can I call you Bets? Don't say no—that's all well and good of you to be so cautious, but…haven't you watched the news recently?" She wore a soft smirk. _I think today's shaping up to be pretty good already. One-upping cops in general is fun...doing it to Cyclops here would make my day any day of the week._

Betty raised an eyebrow and looked back at Kane, who was actually mirroring his daughter's expression to an extent. "Er, no," she admitted. "Frankly, it's been extremely busy at headquarters. Most of my agents have had barely the time to sleep."

"I see," Shego said slyly. She shot a look at Kane. "Daddy, if you'd be so kind."

After a second he nodded, swiveled in his chair, and typed up a few commands on his security system console. One of the monitors—a larger one, thankfully—flickered as its signal changed; now it displayed footage of Shego and Kim combating the first set of GMKCRs.

Betty watched the fight with some internal surprise, but outwardly she remained calm. Interested, perhaps, but calm just the same. _Working together? Those two?_

When the feed ended, Shego spoke again. "Yeah, see, I don't think you have to worry about me running away, what with Kimmie being my girlfriend and all."

_That_one got an outward reaction—from Betty and Kane both. Kane full-out grinned, the smile growing from the small one he wore earlier to its current size. Betty, though, looked like it took a second to penetrate—which it did. A statement like _that _certainly qualified as Out of Left Field. "Girlfriend?" she echoed after a second. It just…didn't compute. Anything else, she might have expected, and been properly skeptical about, but…wow. The sheer illogic of it derailed her higher thought processes.

"Yeah, you know. Main squeeze. Paramour. Lady-love. Sweetheart. Princess. Significant other. Better half. I can keep going…"

"No, no…I get the picture…" Betty said weakly. She could feel something of a headache coming on. "This is just…unexpected."

Shego laughed. "You're not the only one to think so."

After a minute of uneasy silence, Betty spoke again. "So be it. Now, about your assistance—"

"You still haven't told me what you want me to help with," Shego reminded her.

"I would if I wouldn't get interrupted," Betty returned. Her eye narrowed slightly at Shego.

"I suppose you're right about that," Shego granted her. "It's just _so_ much fun."

"I know it—"

Shego made some strange noise. It sounded something like a small strangled mammal.

"Now, what was—"

There was that noise again.

"Come on, let me—"

Shego uttered a nonsensical word. It sounded like "Phuhbizbit!"

Betty just gave up for a second, glaring silently at the green-skinned ex-villainess.

Shego giggled a few seconds into the staredown. "Okay, I'm done for real," she announced.

Betty waited to see if Shego was going to do anything. When it was apparent that she wasn't, she started to speak again, still watching Shego, who was grinning like a devil. "Anyway," she grated, "I would like you to help because of who we suspect is behind this."

"Drakken, DNAmy, and Dementor," Shego stated instantly and matter-of-factly.

Betty opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She shook her head. "You two are already way ahead of me, aren't you?" she asked ruefully.

"Eh," Shego hedged. "We've dealt with those things a couple of times now. How do you know about them without reading or watching the news?"

"Police after-action reports, mostly," the doctor replied. "As you are no doubt aware, there are not many happenings involving law enforcement of any kind that escape our notice. Sadly, that means there are a _lot _of happenings that we notice...and some that fall under the radar, so to speak."

"So you hack in to police nets and read over their shoulders, and sometimes they get smart and shut it off before you can read enough."

Betty glared at her again in silence, and Shego settled for her small semantic victory with a lazy grin.

"We are not above the occasional usage of vigilante methodology," Betty finally answered.

"So…the_real _reason you want Princess to work for you is because she does what you do, only better."

Again Betty glared at Shego, and again Shego smirked smugly—more so than usual.

"The _reason _for my visit," Betty finally ground out, and Shego could see her temples pulse as the doctor spoke through gritted teeth, "was to request your assistance in any way you see fit to provide against your…former…employer and his cohorts."

"There, was that so hard?" Shego teased. She was going to pay for this later, she knew, but for right now it was _so _much fun! Even Kim didn't usually respond like this to this kind of teasing.

Betty took a deep breath and released it slowly before speaking. "No," she replied primly once again, her expression collected. "No, it was not."

Shego decided it was time to be serious, which in her mind was very sad because she so enjoyed keeping the other woman off balance. _Probably because she feels like she runs the world…_she thought. "I'll tell you what we _do _know. A few days ago, when they first tried these…these…oh, fuck, I'm going to gut both of you like fish if you laugh…giant mutant killer cyborg rats"—she paused, and sent up a brief prayer of thanks to whomever was listening that they at least managed to keep straight faces—"they kind of…surprised me while I was out. Kimmie swooped in after Mommy arranged a ride for her through her little hacker friend. We fought, the rats almost won, then Princess gets it in her head to climb the rats and fry their brains by letting her hacker plug in and scramble the cyborg parts."

She paused to let Betty assimilate the news. It didn't take long before the one-eyed woman motioned for her to continue, which Shego was thankful for; she was still standing, bag still on her shoulder, and she really _really_ wanted to just leave.

"Anyway, a couple days later they try again, and this time they greased the rats and hid the cyborg parts—which means they're probably watching their creations, though I couldn't tell you if that was from inside the rats themselves or some hidden, external cameras. Probably the latter; Dr. D loves to show off, and if it really is those three, then Dementor probably tries to one-up him at every turn." She snorted a laugh. "Non-capitalist competition? Or maybe it _is _capitalist since they're both striving to rule the world and all. Maybe capit_ol_ist, with an 'o'...

"But that's off-topic. Anyway, so they greased the rats and hid the cyborg parts. Kimmie and I tried to repeat the same tactic and that's how we found out about the grease. I guess it looks like rosin, so it's not all drippy, but it's certainly slippery."

Betty held up a hand. "Rosin? Don't you mean resin?"

Shego stared at her. "Haven't you ever heard of a violin before?"

"Of course I have," Betty replied, looking a bit indignant.

"Okay…how do you think they keep the bows from sticking to the strings, since the bow is pretty much just hair?"

After a silent moment Betty said, "Continue."

"Right," Shego said, eyeing her strangely before doing as requested. "Princess was flying down one rat's back and I tripped it by blasting a hole in the ground so she could slide off it closer to the ground. Then, through our wonderfully thought-out and methodical approach to the problem…"

"Meaning, seat-of-your-pants quick thinking," Kane put in, with his most charming grin.

"Shove it, _Daddy_. With our approach to the problem, Kimmie got onto its head again and gave it a frontal lobotomy with her little laser thingy."

Betty winced slightly, and Shego caught it, nodding. "Yeah, not so great. Then, the weirdest part: the rat started to shrink."

"It shrank," Betty repeated in a deadpan tone.

"It shrank," Shego confirmed. "What, you think they showed up Godzilla-style and rampaged Go City like it was Tokyo? Nah, Kimmie and I think our Terrible Trio released the rats and zapped 'em with a growth ray or something to make 'em that big. So then she had me shoot the rats in the forehead with my plasma, and…she's _such_ a geek…she figured out that it interfered with the cyborg parts again and shut them off, so the rest of the rats shrank, too."

Betty blinked. "That's…a pretty incredible story."

"I know it is," Shego agreed. "I was there and I still think I'm making it up. But Daddy ought to have all the news stuff on tape, if you want confirmation. Or you could just ask Kimmie."

Betty considered the idea for a moment. "No, actually, strange as it sounds, it fits with what we know of those three. Especially," she added with a wry grin, "the fact that whatever their plan is, it's likely not working, since you two seemed to handle these things pretty easily."

Shego snorted. "Easy? If we couldn't handle them they'd have rampaged through my home in a couple of hours and I wasn't about to have that, but it was a near thing. I think one building still has a me-shaped dent in it, and Kimmie almost went splat a few times."

"Very well, drop 'easily' from my description. You two still handled the situation admirably."

Shego shrugged, which had the added effect of banging the duffel bag against her side, reminding her again of its presence. "Like I said, we handled it." With nothing more to say, she wisely said nothing more.

Betty watched her for a few more moments. "So are you agreeing?"

Shego frowned. "Not to sound selfish"—here her father snorted—"but what's in it for me?"

Betty smiled thinly. "I was wondering when we were getting to that. In return for your cooperation," she went on, all business again, "I will agree to drop all outstanding federal warrants for your arrest, and arrange for those at state and local levels to close. In addition, we will allow you access to your various accounts—at least, those that we know of," she added, that thin smile back in place. "We will, however, be monitoring their usage. As well, we will require occasional updates on your whereabouts—something like reporting to a parole officer, but without the stigma."

"In other words, you're going to call Kimmie every so often to see if I'm being good," Shego responded. Privately, she was a bit shocked—well, okay, she was _completely _shocked—that GJ was offering her such a generous offer. Or that Bets was offering her that much. They were practically allowing her to get off scot-free, even if she did have to have Kim act like the occasional babysitter. It was…an extraordinarily tempting offer.

"In other words, you're exactly right," Betty said unashamedly. She paused for a moment. "It certainly sounds like Miss Possible has managed to tame you," she finally remarked.

"Tamed me?" Shego echoed incredulously. "Look, Bets, you know she's the only reason I'm even agreeing to you right now. I may have nixed my contract with Drakken without her help, but I _certainly_ wouldn't be behaving like I gave a rat's ass—oh, dammit," she groaned. "Daddy, shut those off, _please_."

Kane chuckled as he reached behind him and ended the television footage of the fight with the GMKCRs with a single keystroke.

"As I was saying," Shego resumed, "just ask Kimmie. She'll tell you I'm hardly 'tamed.' I'm just behaving myself for her sake. I don't belly-up to anyone but her."

"That sounds like the definition of 'tamed' to me," Betty smirked.

"No, there's a difference," Shego said, a smirk of her own making an appearance. "Kimmie may have me on a short leash, but that leash only applies to her. With anyone else I'm as much of a bitch as ever before." When Betty only raised an eyebrow, Shego said, "You want an example? What if I told you no, right here, right now, to your little request, dangling carrots and all?"

"I'd be shocked," Betty remarked. "Remember, this is under the table. There will be no mention of you around HQ. As much as I may have mentioned 'we' before, this agreement will remain unknown to most of Global Justice, until the task is taken care of, at which point your terms will come to fruition, quickly and quietly. No fanfare, just a discrete set of orders."

"Drop all the flowery talk," Shego sniped. "Plain old English. You're saying this stays between you, me, and the flower pot that's been carefully swept for bugs not thirty seconds ago?"

"And, I should think, three others, yes," Betty agreed.

"Who?"

"Miss Possible, obviously. Also, my assistant, Will Du. And finally, one person at headquarters of your choosing."

"Okay, but why those last two?"

"Agent Du will know because he, at least, can be trusted to keep his mouth shut, and if we tell him he will not need to pry. Despite his flaws, he is quite observant, and could probably deduce something strange was going on. The one person of your choosing is to show you that I intend to honor this deal. I will not know who this one person is—only you."

Shego was still, to put it mildly, taken aback at that. Betty Director, the cyclopean leader of the largest underground law enforcement agency in the world, was essentially letting Shego, arch-thief, criminal sidekick and warrior of high renown, off the hook for good, all in return for helping them stop this current menace.

Somehow Shego knew she'd get roped into more, and she absolutely hated that fact. She knew they'd be able to use Kimmie to get at her, and that almost made her refuse the offer outright.

The prospect, though, of being able to walk in the open everywhere, not just Go City, with Kim was far too tempting to pass up, though…and for so little in return! Find the lair, beat the bad guys, go home and take Kimmie on the kitchen counter…it sounded like the kind of daily schedule that Shego could get used to, especially since it involved some of her favorite things—namely, travel, fighting, and Kim (well, and sex with the cheerleader, too—they may only have done it once, but that once was _fantastic_).

Finally she nodded. "You've got yourself a deal," she said, and quirked an eyebrow when Betty actually wilted a fraction of an inch in relief. "What's the matter, didn't think you'd get your way?"

"Frankly, no," Betty answered, running a hand through her short brown hair. Shego was beginning to suspect her two favorite words were "frankly" and "actually." "I thought this would be a much tougher battle…until you mentioned Miss Possible."

"Yeah, Princess has that effect on people," Shego grinned. "She's a good kid, though. Great in bed. You should see her when she…"

The other two occupants in the room winced, and Shego nearly cackled.

"Aww, too much for you?"

"Frankly," Betty said again, "yes. Far too much."

* * *

"And so that's about the time Betty turned six different shades of red," Shego finished. 

It was much later, and she and Kim were sitting together in the student center on Go University's campus, sharing a giggle over Shego's description of the director's reaction. The space was large, easily enough to fit several hundred bodies, and that was only in the portion of the building they were in. Tables and chairs dominated the scene, as the food court was just around the corner. One of the walls was made almost entirely of glass panels, and a wide, slowly-winding staircase followed one wall to the upper floor's banquet rooms. Large, comfortable chairs lined those walls and the dividing wall between their section and the next. Kim, in one of said chairs, had one of her books open on its arm and a notebook in her lap and had been studiously working on a homework assignment for her composition class—at least, until Shego came in and found her.

Kim had asked how Shego knew where to find her, to which the older woman replied, in total seriousness, that she'd known Kim would be there instead of in her room. Mystified, Kim wondered how that was possible. Shego told her it was because of her own past experiences, those of doing the same exact routine as Kim herself, and because the Go University Recreational and Personal Study-site, or GURPS for short (a nickname that some pencil-necked geeks got good sniggers over to this very day), was an excellent place for doing any homework, with easy access to computers and classmates alike.

After watching Kim work for a while, Shego had gotten bored and decided Kim was done for the night. She notified Kim of the decision by snatching the pencil away and flipping the notebook closed, and all that was a notion the slender heroine readily agreed with. Her pencil lay in the open spine of the textbook, unused for the last hour or so as Shego relayed the details of her impromptu meeting with Dr. Betty Director.

"The best part," Shego continued, "and that last bit was good, but the _best _part, was when Mommy came home as Bets was leaving. Apparently they passed by each other as Mommy was walking in, 'cause when she walked in the house she asked, 'What was Dr. Director doing here, and why did she fall into the sidewalk?' That really shouldn't be that funny, but I just about died laughing. I didn't even think to bother to ask how she knew who Bets was." She chuckled a bit right then. It was as she said; the situation wasn't all that entertaining, but there was just something about it that tickled her.

"You're right," Kim said, eyeing her strangely. "It's _not _all that amusing." She wasn't quite sure what Shego was trying to get at.

"Yeah, I know, Kimmie, but I think it was the fact that Bets wasn't quite prepared to learn we were a couple, and then her guys took the sidewalk out from under her. You know how they do that crazy tunnel thing with you and the buffoon?"

"His name is Ron, and yes."

"Fine, with you and _Ron_. Geez, sometimes I think you like him more than me." She faked a pout and crossed her arms.

Kim smiled. "I've only known him since pre-K. He's been my best friend for ever and ever, but you're my one and only."

That last bit made her blush slightly, a reaction that Shego still, after a whopping five days, found amazingly adorable. She secretly hoped she always would.

"Anyway, you were saying?" Kim prodded.

"Yeah, I was. It sounds like Bets took a step and the sidewalk just wasn't there anymore. That's why Mommy said she 'fell' into the sidewalk, instead of just disappeared into it, I think." She giggled.

_Now_ Kim could find the sitch amusing. To make the GJ leader flounder with Shego's little bombshell revelation, then to have her be so shaken as to not expect her return trip…that was a scene that would have been worthy of the record books. Or at least something like _The Funniest Home Videos Middleton's Ever Seen_.

Kim sighed mentally. She used to _adore _that show; then she'd grown up.

She brought herself back to reality. "So Dr. Director offered you, basically, amnesty for secret help with bringing the Big Three down?"

"Sounded like it," Shego agreed. She still couldn't quite believe it herself, but either Bets was desperate, or didn't consider Shego _that _big a threat…which was actually somewhat insulting. "But notice what she _really _said; it sounds like I better watch my step outside the country."

Kim blinked. "You're right, I didn't notice that until you said it. So you'll still have your warrants in the other thirteen countries."

"You got it." Shego sighed. "I accepted it, but…I'm not sure it was such a good idea."

"Why not?" Kim asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, it means they know where I am, for one," Shego replied. "And the law and I haven't really been on the greatest of terms for a lot of years now."

"What about now?" Kim asked with a grin. She even batted her eyelashes.

Shego rolled her eyes. "Still not."

"Aww," Kim pouted. "You don't like me?"

"You don't count, Pumpkin," Shego answered. "You're not the law. You're good. There's a difference."

"What do you mean?" Kim was curious. She'd always pictured herself as law-abiding enough.

"When you're on the other side, you learn to see the difference pretty quick. You fought me—well, us…"

"Mostly you, unless you're referring to the other villains, too."

"Kinda. Anyway, you fought me to stop Dr. D, sure, and all the other villains, and your goal was to save the world…but let's face it: you were mostly a vigilante."

Kim wasn't sure why, but that word stung a bit. "What makes you say that?"

"The fact that you weren't a police officer, or military, maybe?" Shego offered, her usual sarcasm making its return.

"Hey, I usually had Global Justice's backing." Kim folded her arms across her chest defensively.

"Which doesn't count for much," Shego retorted. "Let's face it, Kimmie: Aside from us—meaning, the super-Bad Guys and super-Good Guys—knowing about it, GJ's a secret. A secret police agency doesn't have much credibility with the public, you know. And since you like being lawful, you know that that means, almost by definition, being accountable to that public."

Kim blinked and lowered her arms. "Wow. Since when did you get so smart?"

Shego grinned slyly. "Fashion magazines weren't the only things I read to pass the time in Dr. D's lairs or jail cells."

"Kids these days," Kim said, shaking her head. She was grinning, too, though.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, and so you know, I have no problem with you being all vigilante. It's cool. Hell, I think it shows your individuality better than working for GJ does. And you know how much I like unique."

Kim wondered, as her cheeks reddened, if there would ever come a day when Shego wouldn't be able to make her blush any more. She seriously doubted it.

"And that's why, I think, I can stomach fighting with you," Shego went on. "Oh, don't get me wrong—I'd like you either way, but if you were just gonna be a bitch for GJ then no way in hell would any amount of convincing or pouting get me to sign on."

"Well, you've got a few years before I have to make that kind of decision…but you know, you kind of have something with the whole villainy angle." Kim was surprised the second the words left her mouth; that kind of thing she'd been thinking about a lot lately, but she figured she had it well and truly under control. Apparently not, though, if blabbing it to Shego was any indication.

The ex-Bad Guy just blinked in silence for a few seconds. "…What?" Shego wasn't quite sure she'd heard that right.

"Um…nothing?" Kim offered, a sheepish grin on her face.

"Kimmie, you did _not _just say you wanted to be a bad guy," Shego began.

"What? No! Why would I say something like that?"

"I don't know, because if you did I'd have to fucking knock you over and beat some fucking sense into you because you would have then fucking lost your fucking mind."

Kim blinked. Sure, Shego swore, but _that _amount of profanity, especially in one sentence and practically every other word, meant she was really angry. And she knew from experience that an angry Shego was an intimidating Shego. Usually she could deal with that…but they weren't on a mission, and apparently Shego was _personally _mad at her, not _professionally_ so. "Um…I'm sorry," she mumbled, trying to meet Shego's gaze but not quite able to lift her eyes that far. Her own gaze remained stuck at about the other girl's elbows. "I just meant it in the sense you tried to give that one time you explained it…freedom, you know?"

Sadly, Shego appeared only somewhat mollified. "You're lucky I _do_ know, Princess," she grumped.

"Aw, you know you love me," Kim returned, grinning a little shit-eating grin. She planned on bringing out the full-force Puppy-Dog Pout if push came to...well, pout.

"You're lucky I do," Shego repeated, though a bit more of her anger had dissipated, which kind of amazed Kim even as it amused her. Shego'd always had a quick temper, being notorious for having a fuse shorter than Mego could shrink even on her days with Team Go. She also apparently could nurture a grudge for a long, long time, which made Kim relieved that she was letting it go…and a bit amazed that she_ could_.

"I'm sorry," Kim apologized again, making her face serious again. "I really didn't mean to make you mad."

"I know, Princess," Shego sighed. "And I'm sorry I reacted like that." She wondered if they were going to stop apologizing to each other any time soon. "It's just, if you even made it close to being bad, I don't think I could take it. Then I really _would_ have to thrash you, because that would be a really really stupid idea on your part."

"So are you saying you made a really really stupid decision when you left your brothers?"

"Hell no," Shego snorted right away. "Smartest thing I ever did. It messed me up, sure…but otherwise, would I have met you?"

Kim blushed _again_. The previous one had barely faded away by then.

"Besides, if you turned into a villain, what was the point of my deciding to abandon that life? I…"

She didn't get a chance to continue; the happy-minor-third trill of Kim's link to Wade interrupted her. Kim, still looking apologetic, glanced at Shego, silently asking with her eyes, "_May I?_"

Shego huffed and rolled her own eyes, a sure sign, if Kim had ever seen one, of "_Go ahead._"

Kim rotated her wrist device until the screen faced her. "What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked when her tech guru appeared on the small screen. She was thankful that the time of day meant the GURPS was far less populated than usual; she really didn't feel like dealing with fans—of which she'd discovered she had several, even on the campus of her college—hearing the distinctive tone and her normal response.

"Hey, Kim," the boy said. He looked different, somehow, to her, but she couldn't put her finger on it—not that he gave her a chance, since he continued almost right away. "Got a prelim analysis on those rats you sent over, and let me tell you, they're a piece of work, all right."

Kim beckoned Shego over to watch. "It's about the rats."

Wade, to his credit, didn't flinch when he saw the other girl's face appear on his own screen; he'd seen the footage from the last fight enough times to note that they weren't exactly on opposing sides anymore. Not that that made him feel better about her presence, but Kim could take care of herself, especially since he _still _rarely ventured outside his room.

Making sure he kept his voice steady, he went on. "You two were right about who's behind this; the technology involved is signature to both Dr. Drakken and Professor Dementor, and there's not another villain out there with the gene-splicing skills of DNAmy. She's got the rats engineered to be stronger, tougher, and more violent, along with the nasty stuff their skin secreted to make them slippery."

Kim frowned. "Crisco rats."

"Cratsco," Shego offered, straight-faced. Kim elbowed her.

Wade went on; he was focused on another screen as he read and so could only pay them a small sliver of attention. "Dementor's cyber-tech was used to make sure they stayed obedient, at least to them, and it also made sure they stayed large. By frying the circuits you caused the rats to lose the energy keeping them giant, and so they returned to normal."

"How'd that work?" Kim wondered. In spite of her indecisiveness for choosing a major, science-y stuff still fascinated her. Of course, so did math, and history, and languages, and…

Wade interrupted her mental list. "Whatever the ray was Drakken developed, it caused…interesting stuff to happen to the rats. I analyzed the remaining energy signatures left over after the plasma interference and found that the Growth Ray works by multiplying the number of molecules in the target, as well as expanding the amount of empty space in each atom. The net result, even on a factor of two each—that is, doubling the molecules and doubling the empty space—means the target gets sixteen times larger in all respects. And from the size of those in the videos, they're capable of a factor far higher than just two."

Shego let out a low whistle. "That's the first plan Blue Boy's come up with that's really been…well-thought out."

Wade winced slightly at the sound of her voice. "You got it. Dementor's cybernetics held the energy field in place that kept the rats expanded like that. When the energy was lost, the rats returned to their normal state, a sort of size-based equilibrium."

"Awesome, Wade," Kim said, grinning at him. "You _so _rock. Did you get anything else off of them?"

"Actually, two things. One, they had a sort of uplink installed in the circuitry, but I haven't figured out what it's for yet. It doesn't look like an interface to receive commands, since it wasn't connected in a transmission pattern. And two, there was this." He held up a pair of tweezers with a very small red cylinder that featured two thin, blue-plastic-coated wires coming out of it at each end. He slid a magnifying glass—no tech was too old-fashioned for good old Wade—over it, and adjusted its distance until Kim and Shego could see it clearly.

"What is it?" the two asked, almost in unison.

"It's a small, but extremely powerful, self-destruct device." Wade waggled the tweezers with which he held the cylinder. "It's just the last bit of evidence, circumstantial as it may seem, that this is actually Drakken involved with the other two."

"Makes sense," Shego reasoned. "I don't think there was ever a single lair that _didn't _have one of those."

"Exactly," Wade concurred.

"But…if that was in there, why didn't it go off?" Kim asked.

"Still trying to figure out the exact reasons," Wade said. "I think, though, that because you fried the uplink, it couldn't receive the command. And it wasn't wired as a deadman switch, either, which also points to Drakken."

Kim snorted. "Of course. If it blows itself up, it _has _to have a button. It can't just trip itself after it stops receiving a signal."

"Nope, because that would make sense," Shego agreed with a grin.

"Yeah…except we only found three of the four, and one made this nasty, godawful squishing noise…you think that one actually worked?"

"More than likely," Wade put in. "This isn't an explosive; it actually causes the rats to mildly _im_plode. That's probably why you thought it sounded like it got stepped on."

Just bringing back the memory of the sound made Kim somewhat queasy. "Okay, that's enough of that talk," she said. "Did you get anything else out of it, Wade?"

The boy genius shook his head. "Sorry, Kim. With the electronics shorted out like this, I couldn't get anything else about it. About all there is left to get is the type of signal used to connect to the uplink, and its frequency. If I had those I could backtrack it to a lair no-problem."

"Hey, Wade, this was huge. And at least, if we see these things again, we'll know what we're dealing with inside and out."

"Right."

Kim signed off and turned to Shego, who was still crouching down with her face right next to Kim's. The younger girl placed a quick kiss on her cheek before packing her stuff into her backpack and unfolding herself from the large chair. "D'you want to grab something to eat, or just go back home to the dorm?"

Shego cocked a black eyebrow up. "Kimmie, you sound like I live there."

Motioning to the duffel bag she'd seen Shego bring in, Kim asked, "Don't you? Or rather, won't you soon?"

The greenish woman affected a totally innocent countenance. "What makes you think that I have anything resembling the supplies for a prolonged stay in here?"

"The fact that you're making that face, for one," Kim giggled. "If you'd looked angry or devious I might have bought it."

"You're too observant for your own good," Shego grumbled. "But you're absolutely right. Already parked my bike there and walked back here. That is, of course," she hazarded, suddenly and inexplicably nervous, "if it's okay."

Slightly taken aback, Kim was silent for a second. _Since when does Shego do timid?_ she wondered. No answer came to her, though…and she belatedly realized she'd left her significant other hanging. "Sorry!" she rushed out. "Yes, yes it's fine. Please."

"'Please?' Ah, Princess, getting desperate, are we?"

"But you take such good care of me…"

That bizarre nervous expression was totally gone now from Shego's face. Instead it was replaced by full-on mischief. "Is that an invitation?"

The poor heroine, for all her world travel, still had a fair amount of naïveté—yes, even still, after the influence of the much-more-world-savvy Shego. This explained why she replied, "Um, yes?"

That look of mischief was on in full force now. Shego stood up and ran her finger along the underside of Kim's jaw. "Good. I _like _taking care of you."

Finally Shego's double entendre registered to Kim. She made a noise—sounding something like "Ghrk!"—and her eyes went wide. Because of Shego's proximity, though, she really didn't have any venue for escape, so she just stood there. "Shego!" she hissed, finding her voice. "Behave."

"You know you like me bad," Shego teased, but she did relent—at least, with the physical contact. "There's just something about goody-goodies being attracted to the dark side." Kim only giggled.

The two finally began the short trek back to Kim's dorm room. Along the way, they chatted about inconsequential things—Shego's college days (some more), Kim's classes, what she might major in, and so on. It was actually refreshing to both—and more revealing than either expected. They had known they already had quite a bit in common, what with their similar approaches to problems, innate stubbornness, general can-do attitudes, and mastery of physical fighting, among other things.

Finding out, though, that they shared similar tastes in movies and clothing, and some in music, weirded Kim out a bit. She'd known they got along famously before, when Shego had had her brief tenure as Miss Go, but when Shego returned to normal after Ron zapped her again, Kim figured all that was by the wayside.

Then Shego dropped a past-revealing bomb that left Kim reeling, grasping for a way to cope with this most recent revelation. It was…difficult, to say the least. The mental image she had of the other woman took a severe beating, though it barely managed to stay intact, even if only by the thinnest of margins. In fact, Kim herself barely managed to stay standing up, even if only by the thinnest of margins.

Shego looked askance at her. "Melodramatic, much?" she quipped.

Kim shook her head slowly. "Never, in all my life, would I ever have suspected such a thing of you," she said, her voice a strange mixture of awe and something else akin to fear.

"Princess, is it _really _so hard to believe that I used to do something like that? I mean, look at what I did until just recently. I think your little family motto"—she held up two fingers in air quotes—"could apply to just about anyone, including me, you know."

"Well, okay, but…still, Shego, don't you think you could have _prepared _me a bit more for something like that?"

"I'm a big believer in spontaneity," the green girl replied sardonically.

"Whatever," Kim replied, brushing it off. They resumed their walk.

Half a block later, Kim muttered, "Comic books…"

Shego sighed. "Yes, Kimmie, again, I used to collect comic books. I was a_kid_. Kids do that. Look at you and your stuffed-animal thingies."

"Cuddle Buddies," the redhead added automatically.

"Yeah, those. You've probably got more than a reasonable amount of them. Hell, from what I've seen, DNAmy's your only rival in collection size." Kim blushed, which Shego noticed, but decided not to tease her further on it. "So why's it such a big deal that I did what I did?"

"Because," Kim retorted. "You're supposed to be a bad girl! Bad girls don't collect comics!"

Shego shook her head, an amused smile gracing her features. They were making slow time back to the dorm, which she didn't mind. It was a nice night outside, after all. "This was even before the comet, Kimmie. Although," she continued, tapping her chin as she stared up at the night sky, "I didn't really stop until Hego started the team."

"And you call _me_ a geek."

"You_are _a geek," Shego replied good-naturedly. "I never said I wasn't. I just never said I _was_, either."

By now they were near Kim's complex. "Are you going to go up the outside again?" Kim asked.

"I might," Shego shrugged. She was actually thinking about it; preferring not to get Kim in trouble, it really would be the safest means of entering, at least tonight, given that it meant she could easily evade even the most vigilant dorm leaders. _Besides, it's not like my bag's going to make it any harder_.

Kim shrugged. Somehow, she'd actually expected that answer. It would be a cold day in Hell, she figured, before Shego gave her a straight answer to a non-serious question.

She was just about to bid Shego farewell for the next seven or eight minutes when a familiar voice exploded out of the darkness.

"KP!" it shouted. "Watch out! Shego's right behind you!"

Kim didn't see anything, though the warning shout had almost gotten her into a defensive posture. Sadly, she was carrying her backpack; though she'd brought one on missions before, that was back in high school. For whatever reason, books at college were exponentially larger and heavier, and so the best she could manage now was to kind of stare while keeping her balance and avoiding falling from shifting herself so suddenly. Surprise—and a healthy amount of disbelief—kept her in one spot instead of kicking in her trademark maneuverability.

Shego was under no such load—the duffel bag was light enough, and she was far stronger than Kim anyway—and surprises tended not to surprise her very much, so she crouched into her own stance and scanned the area for the source of the noise.

She didn't have to wait long. A black-clad, blonde-haired blur zipped across the yard separating the girls from the dormitory. Shego watched it approach her, and felt an ounce of grudging respect shift into place. _Definitely got his game on today_.

However good Ron Stoppable's game might have gotten, though, it was still in a different league from Shego's, a fact that he discovered quickly and thoroughly.

The ex-villainess grabbed one of Ron's arms when he reached out to try and tackle her. With a twist and pull she had him even more off-balance than he'd been from his charge, and by swinging that arm down and back she took him with it, flipping him onto his back with little apparent effort. Unceremoniously she flopped down, sitting on his torso while keeping his hands pinned.

"KP! Help!" he wailed, trying in vain to throw Shego off of him.

Shego yawned mightily, even going so far as to release one of his arms to cover her mouth. He tried to take advantage of the temporary freedom, but the second he flailed the arm toward her to try and knock her off, she caught his fist in her own hand, her grip vise-like.

Kim was trying _really _hard not to giggle her head off.

"Ah! Scary lady with glowing green hands of fiery doom is gonna squish me to death!" Ron went on, in his usual over-the-top fashion, after his hand was caught.

Shego maintained her air of boredom. She stared off into space while Ron writhed and flexed underneath her, her eyes half-lidded and her mouth turned down in a completely disinterested half-frown.

"Kim!" Ron protested. He couldn't see her; she was standing behind his head a good ten feet back, both hands clapped over her mouth since she dared not make any noise.

Finally she sighed, able to maintain a straight face for more than two seconds. "Amp down, Ron. You'll be fine." She walked over to his side. "C'mon, Shego, off," she ordered, giving her a light push on her shoulder.

Shego grudgingly climbed off the sidekick boy. "Aww, buzzkill," she whined.

Ron blinked several times as Kim helped him to his feet, whereupon he assumed his trademark semi-hunched posture. If it hadn't been for his almost-ninja-styled uniform, Kim was sure he'd have his hands in his pockets. Regardless of how relaxed he _looked_, though, his face showed he was anything but; he was eyeing Kim with more than a little suspicion. "Ooookaaay…I don't see any mind control chips or anything…so who are you and what have you done with KP?"

"Me?" Kim protested. "What makes you think I'm not me?"

"'Cause she's the only one acting like normal," Ron replied, jerking a thumb back towards Shego, who ignited her hands and smiled menacingly. Ron paled and hid behind Kim.

Kim sighed again. "And you're acting like normal, too, I see."

Ron looked up at her indignantly from about the level of her waist. "I'm better! Before I'd have lost my pants, or it would have taken me five or six seconds to get back here, not two!"

This time a giggle did escape the teen hero; he had a point. "Yeah, I suppose," she offered. Then she turned back to Shego. "And as for you, can't you see he's not used to this?"

"All the better," the black-haired woman said, stalking towards Kim. Ron 'eep'ed and crouched even lower behind her.

"Just what do I have to do to get you to behave?" Kim wondered aloud. In her mind, though, she already had the _perfect _plan.

"Oh, I don't know, Princess," Shego said, her tone clearly gloating. "Maybe…get out of my way?"

"You'll just have to move me…Cassie."

_That_ stopped Shego short. "_What _did you just call me?" she asked dangerously.

"Your name. Or would you rather I call—"

She never got the chance to finish; Shego interrupted her too quickly. "Don't say it."

"Don't say what?"

"Don't play innocent, Possible. I know what you were about to say."

"I was only going to say your name!"

Ron could only watch the goings-on in a mix of fear for his life and…utter curiosity. Oh, sure, he knew those two bantered in their fights, but this was a bit more…intimate? _Eww eww eww eww wrongsick! _he howled in his mind as the word conjured up things he'd really rather not think about. He had to hold himself back from physically bashing the mental images from his skull.

"Exactly. So don't!" Shego continued, snapping Ron back to the ongoing argument.

"But—"

"No!"

"But you--!"

"No!"

"Rheann!" Kim whined, her voice as pathetic-sounding as possible. It was even accompanied by one of her feet stomping and her hands, such as they could, given her backpack, forming into impotent fists.

Shego snarled, but her glowing fists went out. "That's it!" she bellowed. "No sex for a week!"

Kim gaped.

Ron…fainted.

* * *

A/N: Well. This was certainly a long one. I figured I'd have to make stuff up to get to 10 pages. Instead it just broke 16. Yay for rambling, I suppose. 

Ah, and Wade. Wade, Wade, Wade. Wade, the Deus ex Machina of Dei ex Machinae (that there's the plural form). Yeah, when you want to explain something, have Wade do it, because he makes it sound plausible, and only he can use cheat codes to get the ideas straight out of the author's head and into Kim's ears. (All of that's to say that Wade serves as a really cheap way to get in some godawful explanation of these giant rats I came up with as a gag all those chapters ago…)

Anyway, hope you enjoy. Review, so I know what to do better next time. And look forward (pretty please?) to the next chapter!

P.S.: GURPS Generic Universal Role-Playing System. Look it up on Wikipedia if you don't know what it is. Also, I based the description of the university center they're in off the Oakland Center at my college. Sorry that it's not too original.


	14. Chapter 14: Letting It All Out

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 14

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Kim Possible, Shego, Ron Stoppable, and all other characters are copyrights of Disney, except for Kane and Isabel, who are property of StarvingLunatic, who is, in turn, freaking awesome, both as a writer and as a person for letting me borrow them.

* * *

Ron Stoppable awoke slowly, nursing something of a headache. He wasn't sure why his head hurt so much, but given the amount of time he'd spent recently training, it wouldn't surprise him to find out that it was a sparring-related injury. He'd had plenty of those in recent months, what with having gone back to Yamanouchi to try and establish finer control over his Mystical Monkey mojo…not to mention establish a bit of a "better rapport" with one damn fine female ninja. He'd managed to succeed at both, somehow, which scared him slightly. After all, he was Ron Stoppable, Sidekick Boy Extraordinaire; the _actual _work was left to Kim. Or to Yori, since with Kim in school at home in the States, Ron and the female ninja often undertook the missions assigned to the KP website in the red-haired hero's stead, so long as they were in the general Far East neck of the global woods. 

Still, there was something about this particular sitch that was…odd. He'd had the strangest dream—he came home to see Kim, find out how she was doing, and so on, only to have Shego, Kim's worst enemy and all-time nemesis, suddenly stalk up from behind. He'd _tried _to warn Kim, _tried _to stop the pale-green-skinned woman, and had ended up absolutely…well, _owned _was the only word he had. Then Shego had said something to Kim that his brain apparently refused to recall, but it had to have been vile and evil (hey, same letters, a part of his brain noted) and sick and wrong and, above all, wrongsick, because it _was _Shego. And, he guessed, that's as far as his dream went before he lost it to the voice seeking his waking, since that was all he could remember.

An insistent voice ruined his ruminations, though he was instantly comforted when he quickly recognized the voice, and by extension, who it belonged to. The voice was calling for him to hasten his progress to wakefulness. It worked.

Ron's eyes slowly fluttered open, and a groan escaped him as the small amount of light offended his dilated pupils. They adjusted quickly enough, and he caught sight of Kim, who was sitting back and heaving a sigh. "KP?" he uttered weakly. He even tried to lift a hand toward her.

Kim's attention snapped back to her best friend. "Ron," she said, getting up from her seat and coming to his side. "Slow down there," she urged him, grabbing his arm gently and placing it back on the bed with the rest of him.

Ron leaned his head back into what felt like a pillow; from the looks of things, he guessed he was in Kim's dorm, since he recognized the decorations but not the architecture. The fact that a digital clock was nearby clued him in to it being the bedroom.

"How long have I been out?" he asked, after looking at the display on the aforementioned clock. The clock didn't help him, as he realized he had no idea when he'd found Kim outside. _That _much of his little dream, he was certain had actually happened.

"About thirty-five minutes," Kim answered, watching Ron work his way back to full operation. "When you didn't wake up right away you had me kind of scared. I had to bring you up here to make sure you'd be okay."

"Thanks for that," Ron responded, finally feeling well enough to try and at least sit up. He mostly succeeded.

Kim just watched him move; he really _had _scared her when he just passed out like that. It was very atypical behavior for Ron; usually he would have run around screaming or been all dumbly curious, which was one of his more endearing qualities—to her, at least. For him to simply collapse on the spot…well, she was scared at first that something much more sinister had happened, and she and Shego had spent the next couple of minutes searching for snipers. When Kim finally checked on him, finding he was whole and still breathing, she felt two things: embarrassed at having over-reacted herself, and concern for Ron.

"I had the _weirdest _dream, Kim," Ron said. "I think I might still be under that poppy stuff they use sometimes at Yamanouchi."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "What sort of dream did you have?" Inside, she felt like this was going to be one of those cliché situations where he explains his dream was what actually happened but he's so strongly in denial that he figures it's a figment of his imagination or whatnot.

"Well, after I met you, Shego showed up and I tried to fight her and she pinned me and then let me go and you made her behave but then you called her something and she got mad and you whined at her and she got madder and said no sex for a week or something like that." He reminded himself to breathe…and maybe next time throw in some commas.

Kim grimaced. _Can I call 'em or what?_ Before she could respond, though, and let him know reality was far crueler than it let on, Shego stepped into the room, dressed in regular clothing instead of her catsuit. She carried a tray with three steaming mugs on it and had pinned about half her hair up, held in place with a trusty blue headband.

"Thanks, Miss Go," Ron said as he accepted a proffered cup. Shego continued over to Kim, who also took one of the mugs. The aroma of a strong tea tickled her nose for a moment before she took a sip, and found it to be bitter and sweet at the same time, almost perfectly balancing itself. The greenish woman herself leaned against the wall, the tray tucked under one arm while she held her own mug with both hands. She was, coincidentally, located right next to Kim, a fact which was apparently lost on Ron.

Kim waited for the inevitable outburst, the realization of just who was in there with her and Ron, the finger-pointing, the freaking out, the…the…the apparent amount of nothing that was going to happen. Ron just sipped away, happily not minding the presence of his best friend and a substitute teacher from high school who'd actually been pretty cool. Cooler than Mr. Barkin, at least.

Shego, for her part, could barely hold in her mirth. While she'd been respectful of Kim's worries when Ron first passed out, she found it mostly amusing, herself. Then she'd gotten this genius idea while the two of them hauled the snoring sidekick up to Kim's room; she was extremely glad she'd had her duffel bag, with its changes of clothes that _weren't _her usual uniform. The tea had been her idea, too, a concession to being nice for a change. Hey, amusement didn't _have _to come from being evil. It was just easier that way.

The three sat in silence for a few more minutes, during which Kim gradually became more and more awkward. _Should I tell him? I want to, but that might ruin him or make him faint again…but he deserves to know…but I don't want to do anything to hurt him…this is _so_ the drama, and it's all Shego's fault_.

Kim believed, had Shego not said that one line outside, she wouldn't be feeling so bad right now. Then again, she also didn't exactly want to keep everyone in the dark forever about her current relationship. On the other hand, she wasn't quite ready to announce to the world that she wasn't entirely straight anymore, that she was no longer the cut-and-dry, white-bread, plain-vanilla—as much as any of those could be applied to her in the first place, that is—teenage-girl hero who saved that same world on a regular basis. And yet they deserved to know…just not now…but they had to…

Shego broke the silence at last; her enjoyment of the awkwardness could only go so far before the silence got irritating, after all. "So, Mr. Stoppable," she said, her voice oozing saccharine goodness, "what brings you to Kimmie's neck of the woods?"

"Oh, nothing much," Ron said, waving a hand dismissively. "I just dropped by to say hi to Kim here before going off to cooking school."

"Oh, my, you got accepted to a culinary institute? How wonderful!" Shego gushed. Inside, she was practically rotting from the sweetness she was exuding, but it would be worth it in the end.

"Yeah, I kinda wish I could go here with KP and all, but my true calling lies with the chow and snackage."

"Hey, Ron, that's your thing. I couldn't be happier for you," Kim answered, and she was totally serious about it, too. "You've totally got me beat in the cooking department…much as I hate to admit it."

Ron reached over and plopped an amiable hand on her shoulder. "Not everything's for everyone, KP," he said sagely. "You save the world, I make fantabulous lunches for when you come back. It's how the world works."

"You_ do_ save it sometimes," she insisted. Then a small, mischievous smile appeared on her face. "…Or is it Yori that does the saving?" she teased, and was rewarded with something of a blush coming over Ron's cheeks.

_Finally, it's not me turning red!_ Kim exulted in her mind.

"Mr. Stoppable, are you seeing someone?" Shego asked, still in her "Miss Go" persona. This news was interesting, whether or not she got any distance out of it.

"Well, I can see you and Kim, but nobody else, and—oh. _Oh._ That's what you meant. Um…yeah?" Suddenly he was very shy and apprehensive.

Kim sighed, though she wore a smile. "Come on, Ron, you don't have to be nervous. Remember, our decision was mutual. I'm not going to be a vengeful ex or anything like that." She shrugged. "I don't know if I _can_."

It was Ron's turn to raise one of his eyebrows. "I thought you could do anything."

"I seem to be finding more and more nuances of that saying these days," Kim muttered, her own cheeks turning dark red as she stared at the floor.

Shego couldn't take it anymore. She doubled over laughing, leaving her mug of tea on a convenient windowsill.

Ron blinked, while Kim only blushed harder. "Miss Go? You okay over there?"

"How many meanings in that one, Princess?" Shego asked between guffaws. "Double? Tripe entendre?"

"Princess?" Ron echoed, confused.

Shego reached up and pulled her headband off, still belly-laughing. The weight of her hair pulled it free of the pins holding it up and it tumbled loose, hanging at its customary mid-thigh length. She finally straightened up, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

It was the hair that did it—though the nickname helped—and recognition, and a memory, flashed through Ron's mind as Shego finally got herself under control. _I can't believe I forgot that Miss Go is Shego!_ Ron wailed internally as he began to scramble backwards along the bed. His lungs were too frozen to do anything more than take quick, panting breaths as the deadliest person he'd ever known stared at him from a handful of feet away, a smirk twisting her darkened lips. Ron finally hit the wall, and, realizing he'd backed himself into a corner, shifted his weight so he wasn't on his back, but instead crouching, feet under him and ready to spring away like a mon—_grasshopper,_ he corrected himself hastily.

Then he noticed how Kim wasn't even reacting. No realization that Shego was _right there_, no attempting to boot the villainess through the nearest window, no action of any sort. In fact, Kim was still fairly red and staring at the floor. She almost looked defeated, her spirit beaten down and submissive.

And finally he noticed that Shego was _still _leaning against the wall, smirking, but making no move to light her hands or beat him up or wrangle with Kim or steal anything. She was just…standing there.

The weirdness of it all finally penetrated Ron's panic, and he stepped down—hardly relaxing, just feeling not as ready to fight-or-fly.

Silence reigned, its mantle settling heavily over the small room's three occupants. Finally Ron shrugged it off. "Someone want to tell me what's going on here?" he asked in a tone he rarely used, for it was very serious, lacking most of its usual goofiness.

Finally Kim sighed; she had her blush back under control. "First, Ron, it's…well, it's not _really _the drama." She sighed. "Oh, who the hell am I kidding? It's _so _the drama. See…you weren't dreaming."

"Oh." Then, a second later, the meaning really sunk in. "_Oh_."

"Yeah," Kim agreed, wringing her hands together. "We _were _walking together, you _did _fight Shego, I _did _tell her to behave, and she _did_ retaliate by saying no sex for a week. Then you passed out."

Shego maintained her smirk, but she could tell Kim was having a hard time with this, especially with Ron so wound up from the green woman's presence, so in a rare twist for her she decided to make herself scarce and let Kim save some face.

Kim sighed again as Shego left the room. The lack of any input from Ron was killing her on the inside; intellectually she knew that this was a necessary hurdle, that it was something she needed to get out in the open and out of the way; as is so often the case, though, intellectual knowledge paled in comparison to emotional turmoil.

Ron watched Kim with a sort of detached feeling, like he was watching himself watch her. He could tell she was upset about something, but what she had just told him—that his dream wasn't a dream, after all—didn't seem like it was that earth-shattering. Sure, Shego'd implied some stuff with that, but that was probably just her being her, even _if _she was acting nicer and not being a thief and not beating up Kim and teasing instead of fighting. Ron wouldn't put it past Shego to say something like that even though he was absolutely sure that she was the farthest thing from liking girls.

And Kim? _Whoo_ boy. Kim had crushed so hard on so many boys in high school that Ron would personally swear, in a court of law, that that one astronomer guy—Hubby? Bubble? Ah, whatever—was wrong and that the universe would instantly implode before Kim would ever _think _about liking girls. She'd even dated Ron himself for several months, and as much as he regretted them breaking up, he knew it was necessary before one or both of them went crazy.

Kim's continued silence started to worry him, though. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began to realize that maybe he wasn't so certain anymore about her…preferences.

Kim's gaze remained on the floor. She was having a hard time keeping her composure under the circumstances, especially since Ron was her best friend in the universe. She wasn't worried about telling him; she was worrying over his reaction, and that maybe he would change the verb tense of their best-friendship to past. That thought, the fear of driving him away, was threatening to tear her apart on the inside.

Ron could see her hands wrenching themselves harder than ever. The indecision and silence was getting to him, as well, and he finally found the breath to speak. "Kim," he began, and he plowed on even though he had a hard time continuing. Kim was right; this was _so _the drama. "Do you…_like_…Shego?" His tone was breathless, shocked; he didn't want it to be true, but reality could be cruel.

The emphasis on the penultimate word was almost enough to etch it into wood just from speaking it; certainly that's how it felt to Kim. Her hands clenched tighter than ever, and a tear rolled down her cheek as the moment of truth arrived. She nodded slightly, sniffling as she attempted to pull herself together, into some semblance of her normal self.

The sniff cut Ron like a dagger even as her admission stunned him into numbness; a fundamental truth in his universe had just turned out to be untrue, and the changes were far-reaching and intense, but another universal truth held fast in the midst of such a maelstrom. While he now knew Kim was a…a…was _that way_, she was still his best friend; as such, he had a duty to administer, and it was one he was glad to both have, and to do.

He shifted forward on the bed until he was sitting on its edge, directly in front of Kim. He gazed at the top of her head for a moment, the mass of her fiery red hair falling like a curtain around her head as she continued to fight for her self-control.

Kim heard him move, was mentally preparing herself for the worst. This would be when Ron would stand up and leave, turning at the door only to tell her he wanted no more of her in his life. This would be the beginning of the end that she had been afraid of when she and Shego first admitted they liked each other. This would be when…

…when Ron's arms slid around her shoulders and pulled her face into his chest.

The physical contact broke her last reserves, and she bawled, finally releasing her hands from their death-grip on each other, only to lock them into a similar hold in Ron's shirt. Her tears came fast and hot, soaking into his black tunic as he simply held her and let her let it all out.

When her sobs died away, though he could tell she was still weeping, he pushed her away so she faced him, a handful of tears trickling down her cheeks. "It's okay, Kim," he said gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

The teen hero sniffed again and nodded, wiping away her eyes with the heel of her palm. "You have _no_ idea how much that means to me," she said, her voice watery with emotion.

"I think I have some idea," he remarked, smiling slightly at her disheveled appearance.

Kim attempted a small smile. She was mostly successful. "Sorry for going all emo on you," she apologized. "I just…I didn't know how to say it, and I wanted to let it out, but I was scared…"

"You don't have to be scared," Ron countered. A sudden thought hit him. "I didn't break you, did I?" he asked, and the paranoia in his voice was only partially feigned.

Kim loosed a small giggle. "No, Ron, you didn't." She wiped her eyes again. "I might…I might be bi," she confessed. "Really. I still think you're cute."

Making a big show of breathing a sigh of relief, he wiped a hand across his forehead. "I'm so glad!" he exclaimed. Then he allowed a bit of a smirk. "Hey, if I hang around you, I don't have to worry about cooties since we both like girls now."

Kim giggled again, following it with another sigh, this one shuddering a bit in the aftermath of her little emotional episode. "Actually, I was kind of conflicted for a while…see, the weirdest part of all this is, I only have eyes for Shego."

"Huh," Ron commented. That part still creeped out a bit. Okay, it was a lot, but given how Shego'd been acting since he'd first seen the two of them earlier, he was inclined to think that maybe she returned Kim's feelings…which meant she wasn't nearly as nastily evil as he'd previously assumed.

"Hey, speaking of Shego—did she get Attitudinatedoreded again?"

Having smiled at Ron's stumbling over the word, she shook her head. "Not this time, Ron. It's all genuine." She wondered for a moment at him—after all, this had to be a huge shock to his system, but he seemed to be taking it in stride. _And_ he had pretty much figured it out himself, though she gave him a heck of a hint. She marveled at how he was slowly but steadily improving his mental skills; soon enough they would rival Kim's own.

"Good," he said seriously again, which shocked Kim yet again. It must have showed on her face, she thought, because he took one look at her and continued. "Hey, I'm not gonna let anyone play around with you," he informed her. "Even if they can't help it."

"What are you, my big brother now?" Kim asked playfully. "Even though I'm two months older than you?"

"You got that right," Ron said. "Hey, KP, you're my best friend. I'm allowed to be overprotective."

She smiled. "Thanks, Ron." She leaned forward to give him a bear hug, one that left him slightly breathless from being practically squashed. "So…you're okay with me?" She wasn't sure how often she'd asked that already, but it never hurt to ask again—or, at least, it wouldn't hurt until it got annoying.

"Of course," Ron answered, and he was partially surprised by the fact that he really _was _okay with her. It was a big change, especially given the company she would be keeping, but if there was one thing he'd learned since graduating from Middleton high, it was that change was the only constant in life. "C'mon, KP, give The Ron Man _some_ credit. If you're happy, I'm happy." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "She…_does _make you happy, right? Not beat you up or anything?"

"Yes, Ron, she does," Kim answered in an exasperated tone to his first question, though she softened the tone with a smile. Aside from still-slightly-red eyes, she was over her tears and back to normal. Inside, though, she was practically singing and dancing, so great was her relief that Ron hadn't left.

"Okay," he said, leaning back and clapping his hands on his knees. "I have to admit…the thought's still a bit…awkweird…"

"No one knows that more than us, Ron," Kim said. "Believe me. I don't think either Shego or I was expecting anything like this…even though, and this is the weirdest thing, it feels like it was a long time coming."

"When'd you start? Noticing, I mean."

Kim sighed again. She seemed to be doing a lot of that, she noted. "I don't know if I can really say, but I think it was a month or so ago that the thought first entered my head that I might like her…that way." She fell silent for a moment, struggling to put thoughts into words. "Remember when she _was _Miss Go?"

"Well yeah. In spite of her flirting with Mr. Barkin she was pretty cool."

"I think that's when I first felt _anything_. I thought she was so awesome, like…like a big sister then. Except, when I look back on it now, I think it was more than that. And then, remember when we first fought them again after the whole sitch with graduation? I was so mad that she and Drakken were up to their old tricks—irrationally mad, I think—that I had to talk to her about it…then one thing led to another, we got stuck in the wilds together after the last lair of Drakken's we took out, and finally I found her here while dealing with those stupid rats. She wore herself out completely fighting off the first batch, and I helped her home…and I think it was then that things _really_ started to get obvious for me."

She paused, and Ron nodded. "Well," he said, "you don't need to elaborate any more. It's like I said: if you're happy with her, then I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Ron," Kim said, pulling him in for another, less-crushing hug. They stayed that way for several seconds, Kim taking a lot of comfort from her still-best-friend.

"Hey, I thought you two broke up," a familiar voice called from the doorway.

Ron twitched, but Kim held the hug for another second or two before pulling away. "It's just a hug, Shego," Kim retorted, giving her girlfriend—the word gave her a little thrill—a level look. "You should try it some time."

Shego appeared thoughtful for a moment before shrugging and lifting herself away from the doorway. She ambled across the room and flung her arms open wide. Her expression was a mix of apathy and curiosity as she bore down on her target.

Eyes widening suddenly, Ron scrambled back on the bed as Shego approached him. Kim might be okay with her, and he might be okay with Kim being okay with her…but Ron was _still_ a mite terrified of the plasma-wielding woman.

Shego stopped as she saw Ron trying to run away through the bedroom wall. "What's the matter, Stoppable? Don't want to try a hug?"

"I—um…it's, well, you…uh…I—huh?"

Shego smirked again as Kim giggled; Ron, of course, felt like the village idiot. Again.

"It's okay, Ron," Kim said after controlling herself. "She won't bite."

"Hard," Shego amended. She giggled herself after Ron's eyes went wide again.

Kim smacked her on the arm. "You're not helping him much."

Shego's grin remained, but she stuck her arm out to Ron. "Fresh start?" she asked. "Former sidekick to former sidekick?"

Ron blinked at the proffered hand; the last time he'd had it that close to him it had been glowing and green and scary and doom-bearing and…now it was none of those things. What _really_ shocked him, as he looked into her face, was that she was being completely open. Maybe not serious, as she still wore that grin, but at least honest. The only other time he'd ever seen her wearing anything like that look was before Drakken's last lair collapsed around them all, and Shego said that Kim was fine, not knocked silly or anything. Even then, it had been brief enough that he wasn't sure if he remembered it accurately.

Now, though, he knew…and as he extended his own hand out to take hers and shake it, he was only slightly, instead of wholly, surprised that she didn't try to crush it or burn it off. "Fresh start it is," Ron answered her.

"Good."

As one, they turned to Kim, which kind of creeped her out a little. The dynamic duo stared at her, like they were waiting for her to make a decision, or to say something, or…or something. And as her discomfort increased, they continued to say nothing, simply looking at her expectantly.

"What?" she asked finally, but received no answer in reply. She really had no idea what was going on. "Um…good for you two?" she ventured.

They nodded, again at the same time, before the moment was lost and they broke their synchronicity. Ron broke into a smile, while Shego simply went back to smirking. It was like that was one of her two default expressions, Kim thought.

The odd moment was further broken by Ron, who had just caught sight of the clock again. His eyes went wide. "Uh oh…sorry KP, Sh-Shego," he began, not able to help himself with the stutter (he _still_ wasn't quite used to Shego being anywhere near approachable), "but I gotta run. If I don't make it back in the next fifteen minutes…well, you might not hear of me ever again."

Kim blinked. "Yori's got you on _that _short a leash?"

Shego quirked an eyebrow at that, but Ron didn't answer—at least, he didn't answer that question. He merely went on about how "You know how it goes—world needs saving, have a time limit, partner's waiting, and so on and so forth…"

Shrugging, Kim escorted him to the front door, where he said his hasty goodbyes and took off in the opposite direction from the one the two ladies had come from earlier.

Back in Kim's room, Shego shut the door again before going to her princess and taking her up in a big hug from behind. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern tingeing her voice.

Kim sighed heavily, leaning back into the embrace and putting her hands atop Shego's. "Yeah," she answered. "I'll be fine."

"Good." She knew that had been hard for Kim earlier—she'd vacated the bedroom for exactly that reason, and also because she didn't want to make it any harder or more awkward—but it seemed like everything was on the up-and-up. Shego was relieved to see that; she didn't want her Kimmie to have anything weighing her down like that. It wasn't fun.

Kim relished the contact for a few more seconds before stepping forward out of it. She turned to face Shego. "So…hungry?"

Shego nodded. "_Oh_ yeah. And I can only imagine that you're starving." At Kim's nod, she said, "How 'bout we just go out for a while."

"I'd like that," Kim answered. Shego could still see a trace of redness in Kim's eyes, but the hero was otherwise in fairly good cheer, and the red would fade in a few more minutes anyway. Shego'd suggested going out because she knew that would certainly cheer the redhead further.

"Okay. Well, go wash your face off and we'll get gone when you're ready."

"What about you?"

Shego gave Kim a seductive grin. "Kimmie, I'm _always _ready."

Kim went to wash her face, but the red in her cheeks didn't quite go away.

* * *

As on their first "date," things went very smoothly. Shego found them a relatively inexpensive Italian restaurant, and even offered to pay this time, a notion that Kim readily accepted. They walked back home—they had walked to the restaurant in the first place—and said little on the way, save occasional comments on how nice the weather was in spite of it being fall. 

The entire way back, Kim remained latched onto Shego's arm, both of hers wrapped around the green-skinned woman's one. She took an inordinate amount of comfort from the limb; her mind, playing some strange trick on her, had halfway-convinced her Shego wasn't going to be there all of a sudden, so she was making sure that wasn't going to happen.

Shego, of course, was just happy to have the object of her affection clinging to her like that. It made her feel like she was providing something to Kim, that she wasn't useless aside from being good in bed.

Finally making it back to Kim's dorm, the teen hero opened the main door and allowed Shego to precede her inside before marching them back up to her room. Just as she was about to put her key in the door, though, Shego laid a hand on her arm. Kim turned a questioning look to the slightly-older woman—she was smart enough to realize that by acting instead of speaking, Shego wanted quiet.

Then Kim caught the sound—it sounded like light scrabbling across the other side of her dorm-room door. For a brief second she looked back at the door, wondering if Ron had managed to leave Rufus behind somehow, and that his naked mole rat companion was frantically trying for a way out. She squashed that, though, when she remembered Rufus was almost as intelligent as some humans, and would have been able to let himself out some way or another. She looked back at Shego, eyebrow raised; Shego nodded, and Kim slid her key into the door and turned it. The sound skittered across the door, sounding frantic, and finally ceased making any noise, suggesting either it had reached carpeting or it had stopped moving.

The two opened the door fully, allowing it to swing wide before taking any steps inside; her darkened dorm looked just as they'd left it a couple of hours previous. No out-of-the-ordinary sights or sounds presented themselves as she stepped inside. She avoided turning on the lights for now; whatever was in there, she was probably better off dealing with it in the dark and only turning on the lights after it was dismissed or subdued.

Shego was on full alert, concentrating on her sight and hearing, straining to detect that which created the bizarre sounds of only seconds ago. In her opinion, it sounded too…too…_clicky_ to be an animal of sorts; she was guessing insect-like. And since not many insects were large enough to make noise through a door, she had her suspicions on top of it all. In fact, if she were a betting woman—and under the right circumstances she could be _quite_ a gambler—she would put money on its being unnatural in origin, quite probably a construct. And _that_ meant she had a _very_ good idea where their visitor had come from.

As soon as Shego slipped inside, Kim shut the door, quickly and quietly. Before she could turn back around to continue the search, though, something moderately heavy and very, very cold fell on her, landing square between her shoulder blades. She gasped as it landed, more from the chill than the shock, and felt several simultaneous tugs as the something tried to climb her shirt.

Shego heard the thump and gasp and spun quickly to face the source of the noise; in the dark she could barely make out Kim, and something about the size of both of her clenched fists was wriggling on her back. By pure adrenaline her hands ignited, and in the green glow she could see a shiny black carapace, rounded on top and flat underneath, with eight silver, segmented legs scrabbling for purchase on Kim's clothing.

The hero gasped again when Shego's hands lit up, which clued her in to the fact that whatever was on her was definitely not friendly and decidedly not natural.

Then she felt a prick on her back, and she let out a little cry, one borne not of pain but of shock.

Shego heard that, too, and in a flash she reached a hand out and, two fingers locked into pincers, pierced the thing's shell like it was made of cardstock. She plucked it off of Kim's back, and the legs flailed in the air. Strangely, it even made small mechanical screeing noises as she held it upside-down.

Kim rubbed the back of her neck, feeling for what might have been left, or cut, or taken, but nothing made itself apparent. She reached her other hand out and turned on the lights, allowing them to finally get a good look at their arrested artificial assailant.

Apparently its photoreceptors were overly-sensitive, for between Shego's plasma-induced glow and the normal dorm lighting, every one of its legs curled inwards like the squashed spider it now resembled. Shego shut her hands off but kept her fingers inside, lifting it high and bringing her arm down before Kim rushed forward and caught it, preventing the green woman from smashing the thing to kingdom come.

"_Don't_ break it," Kim warned, gently allowing Shego to regain control of her arm.

Shego harrumphed. "Wade?" she guessed.

"Wade," Kim confirmed.

With a grudging nod Shego relaxed completely, though she maintained her hold on the little spider's innards. Kim guided her to a seat, taking the chair next to hers, and leaned over to examine their find more closely.

It looked much the same in normal light as it had in Shego's plasma glare, save for the fact that it was solidly black instead of greenish. The main body was a simple, shiny-black hemisphere, though they could see on its underside a pair of ports that could slide open and closed as need be. The eight legs were placed equidistant around the bottom's circumference, and each leg was segmented three times. They were tipped in small-but-wicked claws that, while not capable of doing much damage to a human, probably enabled it to hang on to damn near anything. The topside, though sporting two new holes that Shego's fingers were in, was almost entirely featureless, save for a single glowing mechanical "eye" that currently was completely shuttered.

"Shego, what's my neck look like?" Kim asked, pulling her hair to one side.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Weeell," she drawled, "it's a bit red, but it looks otherwise normal to me."

"Are you sure? It felt like…I don't know, like I got stung or something."

"Oh, so _that's_ what that noise was about," the ex-villainess said. "I thought you were just freaking out because you had a big scary bug on you."

"No, I wasn't, thank you very much," Kim replied heatedly, though the effect was somewhat lost as she wasn't facing her significant other. "It…poked, bit, stung, whatever. Felt like it was on my neck."

Shego shrugged and allowed Kim to sit upright again. "Didn't see anything on your neck. Want me to check elsewhere?"

"Please and thank you," Kim replied. "I don't feel anything yet, so it may not be poison or whatever, but I want to make sure."

Shego nodded when Kim faced her again. She got up and went to the mini-kitchenette, finding a large mixing bowl and dropping the wrecked arachno-mech on the counter before putting the bowl on top of it. She returned to Kim and pushed the redhead's hair aside again before pulling back on Kim's collar. "Can't see anything still," she reported, "but I didn't get much farther. I'll need your shirt off."

_At least my back's to her,_ Kim thought as she blushed. "You just want the excuse," she teased, but obliged by lifting her arms.

"I'll take any damn excuse I can get," Shego replied frankly. She pulled Kim's shirt off and tossed it on the back of the hero's chair. Leaning in close, she gave Kim an honest and thorough examination of her back, including running her fingers along Kim's spine to check for any bumps or scabs or anything. "Nothing," she finally reported.

"Really?" Shego could hear the incredulity in her girlfriend's voice.

"Really."

"But…I_ swear_ it did something."

Shego shrugged. "I believe you, Princess. I just don't see anything. Well, aside from you in just a lacy bra, but that's nothing to complain about."

Kim giggled in spite of the moment. "Thanks, Shego." She reached for her shirt, but Shego grabbed _her_ arm this time.

"No need to put that back on." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on each of Kim's shoulder blades.

Kim practically melted backward into Shego. "How do you do that?" she asked lazily.

"Do what?" Shego asked, repeating her actions.

"That," Kim practically purred. "Barely doing anything and you've got me totally relaxed."

Moving up to the tops of Kim's shoulders, Shego rested her chin there for a second. "It's a gift," she whispered, sliding her hands across Kim's sides to rest them on her stomach, "but I can try and teach you, if you want."

"Maybe later," Kim said before reaching her hand up and pulling Shego forward. She tilted her own face up and to the side and they met in a searing kiss.

Kim made a little noise when Shego's fingers began to gently tease the undersides of her cloth-covered breasts. Her partner was only encouraged by the noise, adding her tongue to their already-blazing-hot kiss. For whatever reason—maybe it was the kiss, maybe it was the care already shown her, maybe it was just because—Kim was in a rare state of mind, and her more carnal desires were making themselves known, and loudly. She really _wanted_ the girl now sucking deliciously on her neck…_well, in a few minutes…when she's done with that…ooooh, it feels nice…_

Turning in her chair to face Shego fully, Kim drew her face in for another kiss before allowing her hands to wander down and lift the hem of Shego's shirt. She wanted, needed, to feel skin; she was very thankful that, thanks to their dinner plans, Shego was _out_ of that catsuit and in normal clothing. It made things just that much easier for her to get what she wanted.

Shego was getting terribly excited, too. A distant portion of her mind realized it was strange, given what had transpired with their arrival back home only minutes ago, but mostly she didn't care. She wanted Kim, and wanted her _now_, and apparently the little redhead felt the same way.

Proof of that supposition came when Kim yanked Shego's shirt up; the other girl barely got her arms up in time to avoid tangling them in the offending garment. After tossing it aside, Kim got up from her seat and sat back down in Shego's lap, pressing herself against her lover while beginning another kiss. Tongues collided, hands roamed, hips ground against each other, until finally Shego stood from her seat, collecting Kim in her arms in the process—the redhead's legs locked around Shego's waist so they could maintain the kiss at eye level—and marched off to the bedroom.

An outside observer would notice two pairs of pants joining the shirts on the floor in the main room, then the door quickly shutting. Only a very nosy, very careful listener, then, would be able to hear the sounds of feminine pleasure that lasted through the night.

* * *

Much later, out in the kitchen, the mechanical spider monster finally awoke, its remote controller finally overriding the flash-fried visual circuitry and re-enabling its movement motors…only to find out that every one of the eight legs was broken in some way, either snapped clean in two or fused into a lump of utterly useless metal. In frustration he banged his head against the control panel several times, only sheer luck ensuring he smacked the self-destruct button. His visual went dead. 

Back in the kitchen, the spider shut down for the final time.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long! I have an excuse, really! I blame: studying up for my A certification test today and Double XP weekend on City of Heroes last week. Okay, okay, I could have had it up earlier, but I really only got inspired recently. I slogged through the first scene over like four days, then scrapped it and re-wrote it from scratch. 

Also, thank you thank you thank you to M-The-Reviewer, because that's the kind of thing that actually helps me write. Really. Compliments are great, but comments and criticism are what help with improving things to make them even more enjoyable.


	15. Chapter 15: Made of Epic Something

Yet Another KiGo Fic! – Chapter 15

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Sorry, I still don't have any claim to any of these characters.

Pre-A/N: Unfortunately, this is the only way I have to reply to unsigned/anonymous reviews. Tonya S., Rufus escapes Kim's general dislike of small animals by virtue of his constant presence, his intelligence, and the fact that her general dislike didn't really manifest itself until recently—i.e., it was pretty much Gemini's little Pepe that drove her nuts.

And M: Thank you for pointing that out. I haven't really been keeping track of the days, so shame on me. Yes, your observation should be correct; Ron arrived on a Friday. After all, what better day to do some serious unwinding while in college? Saturdays don't count because, generally, classes aren't on Saturdays. And yes, Rufus was not present right then—Ron's "ninja" outfit left a little to be desired in the pockets department.

* * *

It was the next morning—Saturday, for which Kim was devoutly thankful—and both she and Shego were sitting at her small table in the equally-small kitchenette, nursing cups of coffee and contemplating the lump of unfortunate metal sitting between them. The metal was the remains of the mechanical spider which had attacked Kim the night before, complete with its little legs still curled in like an actual dead spider. Of course, Shego _had _melted the legs into those positions, which Kim couldn't exactly fault her for. 

They could see it had a couple of holes in its outer shell, obviously from when Shego had plucked it off of Kim, but otherwise it looked completely unharmed. Holding it to the light, Kim could just barely see inside of it, finding a mass of tangled wires above an elaborate circuit board, small forests of capacitors and rows of ROM chips covering its surface. Kim frowned; placing it back on the table, she looked over at Shego. "I don't think there's any question as to where this came from," she finally said.

Shego snorted. "Are you kidding? By the shape of it they probably used DNHeifer's bra as the mold for the case."

Kim stifled a giggle. Shego was snappier in the morning than she usually was…which was actually quite amusing, since it wasn't directed at her."I still think we should send it over to Wade," she continued, "since I have no idea what is was for…and that kind of worries me."

"Why?" Shego questioned laconically. "It's not like it did anything to you. And it _certainly_ didn't do anything to me."

"We don't know that it didn't do anything to me," Kim cautioned. "I know that's being paranoid…but given the show of destruction they showed us with the rats, I think it's kinda justified."

"Eh," Shego shrugged. "I still say you're fine. But if you insist, go for it. Besides, I'd rather Nerdlinger have it, than have it sitting here taking up precious space on the counter."

Kim had to sigh at that. "Yeah…I know it's small. Next year I really should look for a normal apartment."

Shego held up a hand to forestall her own comment before getting up and crossing the small space to the coffee-maker. Kim's parents had purchased for her a small, 4-cup model just before she'd left for Go University, obviously believing she'd eventually need the stimulating effects of caffeine in the early morning. While Kim was not exactly chipper from the moment she first opened her eyes, she certainly wasn't that dead on her feet, either, so it mostly sat unused…until the last couple of days, with her new room-mate and all. The green-skinned woman refilled her cup and added in a teaspoon of sugar before coming back. She sniffed it first before taking a sip. "Hey, don't beat yourself up," she said finally. "Who knew this," she gestured to the two of them, "was going to happen?"

"Point for you." Kim stretched, and Shego took the opportunity to simply watch her Princess' motion. The long shirt she'd thrown on when they'd awoken rode up almost to her hips, and Shego cursed her mostly-tired state for not being able to take advantage of the opening.

Kim returned to normal only to find Shego still staring. "What?"

"You know, you are _so_ hot." Shego's reply came frank and honest.

"You're just saying that."

"No. Well, okay, I _am_ saying it, but I'm meaning it, too."

"I still don't believe you."

_That_ earned her a raised eyebrow. "What, don't think you're attractive enough? Got some esteem issues that need fixing here? Hello," Shego continued, gesturing at herself, "look what you caught. That should be doing _wonders_ for you."

Kim half-smiled. "Oh, it is," she said, almost dreamily, but then her voice came back to reality. "I just can't help but wish every so often that I looked more like you."

"This again?" Shego rolled her eyes. "Look, Princess, you're not anorexic, you're not hugely obese. You've got some damn fine curves, if I do say so myself, and I consider myself a pretty good judge of the sexy. And if you're worried about size issues…well, I consider you to be pretty close to what we can consider perfect."

"Really?"

"Fuck yes. If I had to justify my preferences based on knockers, I'd put my own at the upper size limit." She put a hand to her head. "Did that make as little sense to you as it did to me?"

"I…think so?" Kim said. It was way too early for something like that, and she told Shego as much; the other girl agreed, reaching for her morning stimulant.

"So, your little moment of self-doubt all gone?"

Kim nodded.

"Good." Shego crossed her arms as best she could, given that one of them was holding her cup of coffee. "So what are we doing today?"

"Going to send this…thing to Wade," Kim said, nodding at the spider. "I know we know who sent it, but maybe he can figure out where it came from. That way we could actually put a stop to this nonsense."

"Wow, what a concept."

"Shut up and drink your coffee."

* * *

Several hours later, with Kim working on homework and Shego reading one of her everpresent magazines, silence reigned in the dorm room. It was broken only by occasional shifting noises or random vocalizations, like Shego chuckling or Kim groaning in frustration, but no actual conversation took place. On Kim's small desk, a pile of textbooks and notebooks on her left side was slowly diminishing, being transplanted to the right side of the desk as she finished whatever subject she was working on. The working quiet had existed for the last couple of hours, and really, it was extremely relaxing, especially after how the week itself had gone. 

That quiet was interrupted noisily by the expected happy-minor-third trilling of Kim's connection to the universe at large. She jerked in her seat—while she had expected the noise at some point, she was engrossed in homework enough for it to still surprise her—before reaching to the other side of her desk for the device. "Go, Wade," she said, her voice command both switching on the screen and acknowledging the receipt of the incoming call.

"Give yourselves a pat on the back," Wade began, "then get ready to go."

"You got a location?" Kim asked, eyebrow arched. Shego put down her magazine and looked over interestedly.

"And how. Those holes in the mecha-spider's back disabled its self-destruct device completely, including the capacitor that would have melted its transmission systems and location memory. Not only did I get the frequencies it was using, but by bouncing a signal along that path I got a ping from its destination."

"So…you know where they are," Kim clarified. Sometimes Wade's techno-geekery was too much even for her.

"Bingo." His fingers flew on his keyboard, and his visage was instantly replaced by a steadily-zooming GPS map. "Google Earth is a wonderful thing," he said idly while it enlarged and refined itself. The globe shrank to the US, then to Colorado, then Go City and points north, then a small island in the middle of a relatively large lake. "It's nice and secluded without being too far away from all the important places. You should make it there in about an hour."

"What kind of a ride are we talking about?" Kim asked.

"The quiet kind. I figured, with those three in charge of an isolated island lair, air defenses would be the first things they think of. So I found someone who owed you a favor under the sea."

Kim nodded. "When and where?"

"Just be at the Go City Docks in fifteen minutes and you'll be good to go."

"You rock, Wade," Kim finished, flashing him a grin. The boy genius returned it before signing off, and Kim turned to her paramour. "Did you hear?" she asked.

"Hard not to," Shego replied, finally putting her magazine down.

"You coming, or not?"

"Are you kidding? A chance to pummel Dr. D for making me put up with those lame-brained rats of his? I wouldn't pass this up for damn near anything in the world."

"Don't forget the other two," Kim warned. "I'm sure the lair's a bit more…robust than you're used to."

Shego waved the caveat away. "Kimmie, it's _you_ and it's _me_. Do you really think they have anything that can stop us? Even together?"

"Well…when you put it that way…" Kim grinned.

"Now you see my point. Now let's jet before we're late for whatever this ride of yours is."

Three minutes later both women were dressed for the occasion and headed out to a secluded spot on campus. Shego pulled a key from her ankle pouch and did something to it, and Kim watched as the air under a relatively large tree shimmered and wavered for a second before her motorcycle appeared. Without a word Shego handed Kim the second helmet, appropriating the black one with subtle green flames along the edges for herself. Still remaining mostly silent, both climbed onto the bike, and Shego started the engine, giving the throttle a good twist before nodding. Kim's arms snaked around her midsection, and the daredevil driver goosed the throttle again before letting up on the brakes. The tires shredded a bit of the grass and dirt before finally finding the necessary traction to rocket the bike forward.

* * *

They made it to the docks in just under ten minutes. 

Doffing their helmets, Shego pulled the bike's key out of the starter switch and fiddled with it again. The bike disappeared again, but Kim had the distinct impression of it vanishing from the ground up._Probably something she lifted from Drakken_, the teen hero thought, and the idea amused her greatly. There would undoubtedly be some things about Shego that would never change, and Kim wouldn't have it any other way. Though…she kinda hoped that the taking of things that weren't hers would taper off a bit. She fully understood that thievery was something Shego was good at, and was something that defined her, and she was trying _really_ hard to not say anything about it, knowing it would set Shego off like Kim's own confession of how the ease of the villainous life was actually somewhat appealing to her had. But at heart, Kim was still a hero, and theft was something that didn't sit well with her.

Mental ruminations had to be shoved aside, though, as her peripheral vision caught a hint of movement. She turned to look, just in time to see the entrance hatch of a submarine break the water's surface a fair distance out. What she _didn't_ expect to see, was a sort of blue-ish translucent energy bridge extend forward from the sub's top to the front of the dock they stood on.

Both ladies stared at it for a second before Kim simply shrugged. She stepped onto the bridge, and to her _complete _lack of surprise, found it entirely sturdy and stable under her feet. She strode forward confidently.

Shego stared after Kim in some shock. She would _never_ be able to be that trusting; it would have taken her a few minutes of testing before even thinking of just brazenly walking on the bridge like Kim was doing. But the little hero never fell off the bridge, so Shego gradually worked up the mindset to follow her. Of course, the bridge remained pleasantly solid under her own feet as well, and she gradually picked up speed until she jogged the last few feet and jumped atop the sub next to Kim.

Behind them the energy bridge flickered and died; the hatch in front of them hissed open, brand-new-looking hydraulics heaving the heavy-looking metal circle upward on its hinge until the entry into the sub loomed large and dark in front of them. Without waiting Kim scrambled down the ladder, Shego following after half a moment's hesitation.

Inside both she and Kim stood in place for a moment, trying to figure out where to go; the inside of the sub, while spotlessly clean, was also absolutely featureless. They couldn't even see ductwork or piping to demonstrate which way went along the ship's keel.

Then the hatch shut overhead; apparently the hydraulics were much quieter working in that direction than the opposite. The hatch sealed with the hiss of a watertight seal, which also conveniently left the two in utter darkness for about three seconds, just long enough for discomfort to set in, before lights came on abruptly. The illumination seemed to come from everywhere, as they could see plainly, but there were no visible light sources, no shadows cast to show from whence the light came.

Then a voice spoke to them. "Greetings, Kim Possible and…visitor," it said, clearly hesitating over Shego's presence. "I am Number Six. If you would, follow my directions and we will begin travel immediately."

Shooting a look at Shego, Kim hesitantly responded. "Okay…Wait. 'Number Six?'"

"Yes?" the voice returned. It was male, tenor, and certainly not terribly threatening-sounding. In fact, it sounded like…

"You wouldn't happen to be an AI, would you?" Kim asked. She was starting to piece some things together.

"That is correct."

"And we're the only two real people on here, right?"

"That is correct."

Kim looked over at Shego again; the ex-villainess was relieved to see Kim looking eminently comfortable. "And let me guess. You were designed by Dr. Freeman, right?"

"That is correct."

Shego blinked. "The talking toaster guy?"

"That is correct." If Kim didn't know better, she'd have sworn the AI's voice had something of an irritated tone to it.

"What's Dr. Freeman doing, designing a submarine?" Kim asked.

The AI made an electronic noise. To Kim, it sounded something like a snort. "Unknown at this time. I was not programmed with Dr. Freeman's motives."

"I hope not," Shego said dryly. "We'd have a submarine with an AI that would be vulnerable to really easy reverse psychology. And would probably be prone to trying to make more of itself."

"So_ that's_ how you guys got him to work for you," Kim said wonderingly.

"Yeah. The guy's got a spine almost as weak as Dr. D's, but he can certainly back it up, whereas with Blue Boy…" She shrugged.

Kim nodded, a knowing grin on her face. "Yeah. So, Number Six," she said, back to addressing the sub, "you know where to go, right?"

"Indeed," the sub answered. "If you would, follow my directions and we will begin travel immediately."

Instead of standing around yakking, wasting time, Kim grabbed Shego's hand and dragged her through a previously-unseen doorway that had a ring of white light around it. The hallway beyond was still featureless and smooth, and another doorway opened a good twenty feet away, surrounded by the same ring of white. Stepping through it, the two adventurers were treated to the sight of a fully-functional submarine command room…with no one in any of the seats.

Two of said pieces of furniture zoomed up behind them. "Please, have a seat," Six said. Both Kim and Shego did a double-take at the chairs that had suddenly appeared behind them, but sat down nonetheless.

The large screen at the front of the room came to life, depicting a view of the water in front of the sub as it launched itself away from Go City's docks and toward the island in question. As they slipped deeper into the depths, the dive angle barely noticeable to the two ladies, the display changed to a digitized representation of their path.

The time passed quickly, with barely any conversation. Finally, with the zero hour approaching, Kim slipped into her usual "mission mode"—Shego could actually see the change occur: Kim's eyes narrowed, her eyebrows lowered, fists clenched, and even her breathing deepened. Everything suggested she was getting ready for a big fight, which, quite probably, would be the case very shortly.

Six's voice broke into Shego's thoughts. "Hostile sonar detected. Engaging sonar absorption protocols." On their viewscreen, Shego saw yellow-colored waves representing the lair's detection systems sweeping toward their submarine. As she watched, the yellow lines impacted with the sub…and disappeared. She raised an eyebrow, impressed in spite of herself and her earlier comments about Freeman's work.

The sub itself began to thrum gently, catching Shego—and Kim, by the look on her face—by surprise. She looked around for a moment, unsure of the source of the noise, until her eyes caught the display. The submarine's icon was sporting something like a purple shield around it; the yellow waves, joined by red ones atop the water, continued to impact and disappear on the sub's icon.

Finally Six clued them in as to what was happening. "Surface approaching. Hostile radar detected. Sonar negation holding. Engaging radar absorption protocols." Shego felt a slight lurch as the ship broke the water's surface, but it appeared to be gentle and controlled for all the movement they could feel. Their mini-map showed them approaching the base quickly and, given the lack of any defensive activity, undetected. The submarine slowed as it reached the minimum depth it could operate at, and Six spoke again.

"We have arrived," it said calmly.

Shego looked over at Kim, who was up and out of her seat already, so she followed suit. They left the bridge in silence, Six lighting the way back to the hatch. The final door resealed itself and the hatch popped upwards. The floor of the hallway they were in clicked once, loudly, and began to rise, surprising the two once again. It reached the level of the hatch, and Six's disembodied voice announced, "Establishing targeting link. Target acquired. Ranging."

The metal around the hatch began to glow blue, and in the sunlight Shego noted the ship's hull was painted a duller blue than the bridge it was apparently creating. She supposed it made sense to be that color in largely freshwater environments, but it still seemed odd.

Then again, so was Dr. Freeman, she mused.

"Range established. Engaging Dynamic Energy Bridge System."

_That_ caught Shego's attention. She laughed lightly as the blue energy materialized under their feet and shot forward. _Someone's got too much of a sense of humor_, she thought. _You'd almost think he built this for us_.

A snort at her side demonstrated the reference probably hadn't made it past Kim, either, a suspicion which was confirmed when Shego looked over her shoulder to see Kim with a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh. "Best to let it out, Princess," she said, her cocky smirk in place as usual.

Kim dropped her hand and laughed. "I'm sorry," she began, "but…but…DEBS? You'd think he did that on purpose."

Shego shrugged. "Maybe he did."

Kim smacked her shoulder. "Doc Freeman's way too scatterbrained to do something like that on purpose."

"You make a convincing argument."

Six let them know, then, that the bridge had established contact with the shore, so it was safe for them to travel. They settled into more serious moods before dashing down the bridge.

Touching down on the island itself, they watched as the bridge began to retract itself. Shego found herself wondering how sturdy it was—if the sub needed to, could it ram with that bridge thing?

Kim shook her from her thoughts by starting off across the shoreline. It was a small island, totally secluded—they couldn't even see the mainland shore from there—so there was no need to hide the building's presence at all.

As they approached, it was apparent that the lair's builders knew that one fact and exploited it. The place was all weird angles and seeming architectural impossibilities, made merely implausible because, well, there they were and it was all still standing. There was even a giant dome right smack in the middle—and Shego was sure they could only see a small fraction of the whole, given the size of the rest of the compound. The outside walls had to be at least forty feet high, and the complex's footprint came right to the sandy edge of the beach. There was virtually no other vegetation on the island. Even the local wildlife was completely not present. Of course, Shego figured, it seemed awfully small an island to support much in the way of animals.

The only problem either fighter saw was that there was a complete lack of entrances—at least, in the section of building they could see.

"Should we split up?" Shego asked. She didn't really _want_ to, but figured she might as well ask.

Kim, though, vetoed that idea right away. "Not a chance. We don't have any contact between us. Besides, if we stick together, we back each other up."

"'Kay," Shego agreed readily.

They maneuvered along the outside of the wall, inspecting it as closely as they dared—which wasn't very close, for fear of pressure traps.

Suddenly Shego spotted something. She tapped Kim on the shoulder. "Hey, Princess," she said, "I think they know we're here."

"What? Why?"

Shego merely pointed upward and ahead of them. Kim strained to see along that angle until finally she caught the glint of reflected sunlight off of something…something that was obviously shiny and reflective.

"Camera," Kim said flatly.

"Bingo."

Kim sighed. "So much for any sort of surprise we might have had."

Shego shrugged. "Would it matter anyway?"

"Surprise is always nice to have. Ron and I had it often enough with you and Drakken."

"True," Shego mused. "Then again, all that meant is you got close to us really fast. This…might not be so fast."

"What makes you say that?"

Shego pointed again. This time Kim threw in a sigh for good measure.

Several dozen henchmen were pouring out of a hole in the wall of the compound. By the time the door slid shut, a good forty of them had appeared, mostly surrounding the two fighters. Each of them was clad in the usual red jumpsuit, armed with the usual stun rod that glowed with purple energy, and wore the usual angry grimace that accompanied so many of the hirelings that Drakken used.

"Well?" Kim asked.

Shego lit her hands, the grin on her face looking exactly like the one Kim was used to seeing over the years. "Time to play," she said.

Kim could only grin in return.

In perfect synchronization they launched themselves at opposing sides of the ring of grunts surrounding them. In that first round, Shego took down three, and Kim two; Shego, with a grand swipe of her flaming claws, and Kim with a well-placed pike kick. Shego tore to one side, her claws slicing clean through the pole connecting each head of the powered maces. She kept her profile low, ensuring that the first strikes against her missed high as they aimed for what normally would pass for her midsection. She snaked around knees and waists, landing a punch or kick when she could, mostly trying to disarm them so she could manage a fight without risking herself on one or two hits. A few henchmen she managed to trip into their compatriots, sending a dozen sprawling just by that alone. She charged up her fists, sending first one, then a second high-powered plasma shot into the chests of two brutes trying to sneak up on her. They went flying back, a good twenty feet each, and landed in an unmoving heap.

Kim, for her part, was faring equally successfully, though she kept mostly to the air. Her cheerleading training served her well in that regard, and she flipped and sprung and jumped and, occasionally, rolled through the sea of bodies. Since she was using so much energy avoiding blows, though, she made damn sure that if they missed her, each henchman at least hit another, if not take him out entirely. She actually landed on one man's chest, briefly crouching in that horizontal position, and delivered a knockout blow to his face with a fist before springing off his falling body and flipping in midair, landing perfectly on the ground. She didn't stay very long, though, as six more bum-rushed her; she sprung straight upward, and four of them swung their stun poles vertically, intending to beat her back to earth, it seemed. She didn't quite see a way out of it, except for…at the pinnacle of her leap, she lashed out with a foot, knocking one stun pole aside, and it crashed into another. The henchman attached to the first pole let go, but the second wasn't so lucky; he was already off-balance from trying to knock Kim down, so the added sideways momentum twisted him horribly off-balance, and he crashed to the ground. With the air suddenly cleared of half its threats, Kim landed safely again by parrying the stun poles below the heads as they convened on her. The one man on the ground served as a wonderful distraction; she hopped over him and, in their blind rush, two others tripped over him. Kim easily dispatched the remaining three with a spinning assault that they couldn't have defended against if they tried.

With the crash of the last man, Kim noticed she was out of any immediate danger; she cast around, looking for an opponent, but there were none. She saw Shego standing, putting her hands out, surrounded by a pile of bodies not dissimilar to Kim's own conquests. She couldn't help but break out in a big grin.

"Naptime already?" Shego asked, dusting her hands off.

"I guess not everyone likes our games," Kim said, sauntering over to the other girl.

Shego was privately amused to see that, in spite of being flush from excitement and exertion, Kim was barely breathing hard. Shego herself was in the same sort of condition, though if anything, her being flushed made her paler than usual. "Yeah, Kimmie," she said. "You play so rough."

"You know you like it that way," the redhead retorted, her grin turning sly.

Shego laughed.

After a minute to catch their breaths, Kim strode to the wall the henchmen had come through. "Shall we knock?" Kim asked.

"Was always more of a doorbell person," Shego mused.

Kim smiled, digging into her pocket and producing her laser lipstick. She dialed the laser to a higher setting, but not maximum—she needed more than three shots out of it—and set it to the wall itself. She burned slowly but methodically, and after six inches shut it off. She then reapplied it, starting about two inches above the previous cut and extending another six inches up. She repeated the process to slightly above head height and started across, continuing the pattern. On her way back down the other side of her makeshift door, she cut it slightly differently, this time allowing a pair of foot-long "hinges" between cuts.

Finally, satisfied with her work, she stepped back. "If you would do the honors," she said, sketching a mock bow towards Shego.

The green woman smirked her predatory smirk and ignited her hands again. "This is going to be fun," she said. Her hands flared more brightly than normal as she gathered the plasma energy to herself; when she was satisfied, she hurled the contents of one hand like she was a major-league pitcher, followed closely by the second.

Her first shot splattered against Kim's door outline, eating through some of the remaining material; the second shot spanged against the door itself, and the sheer kinetic transfer applied such force to the "door" that it snapped clean away from the wall and bent inwards on the hinges Kim had cut. A godawful screech clawed at their ears, but they were far enough away—and outside—and the sound, while nasty, wasn't dangerous. So it was with hearing intact, vision only very slightly impaired by the remaining smoke in the air, that they made their way inside.

* * *

Three sets of eyes watched the two heroines—well, one heroine and one washed-up villainess—force their way inside the lair. The owners of two of those sets of eyes were becoming very, very nervous. The third…well, the third was provably nuts in the first place, so of _course_ he wouldn't be so worried. 

"Herr Doctor," Professor Dementor began, his accent thickening in his nervousness, "perhaps we should be leaving this place behind."

Drakken merely raised his eyebrow—the whole thing—at his diminutive colleague.

"They have already defeated a sizable portion of the henchmen we have here," Dementor insisted. "What's to say they won't just wipe the last of them away?"

"And if they do?" Drakken countered coldly.

DNAmy blinked. Since when was he so casual about losing hired help? "But…the only thing left would be us!"

"No," Drakken replied. "There is one more…surprise left in store for the two of them."

"There is?" Amy echoed. Her mind offered a couple of possibilities for that surprise. Perhaps he'd rigged the lair to seal and self-destruct, taking them with it. Or perhaps it was designed to simply trap them inside forever, stuck in its maze-like corridor system like lab rats. She offered both scenarios to Drakken, who chuckled.

"No, my dear DNAmy. You see, their mega-sized menaces are _far _from used up. Why, as we speak, the cheerleader and the…_traitor_," he spat the word, "are headed for the Biological Growth and Gamma-Emission Reinforcement Ray chamber, where they will meet their doom at the hands of three untested specimens from our latest batch."

"Untested?" Dementor asked.

"Yes," Drakken said, touching the fingertips of his small begloved hands together. "Your controls were altered to give the rats less restraint. They are better killing machines now than any previous group."

Dementor simply stared. This new development was a bit alarming…though, he supposed, if the rats were not to be released but instead kept here, that killer instinct wasn't as big a problem as he initially thought.

Still, Drakken was even scarier right now than what passed for normal these days. Dementor made a mental note to bail at the first sign of trouble.

* * *

Resistance inside the lair itself was pretty light, which Shego thought was a bit foreboding, but Kim's calm reassured her somewhat. 

Kim decided Shego felt a bit strange being on the other end of Drakken's lair and scheme for a change, so she rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry," she said. "It doesn't get hard until I find you guys…and since you're right here, how hard could it really be?"

Shego half-smiled. "If that comes back to bite us, I am _totally_ going to kick your ass."

"If that comes back to bite us, get in line; I'm kicking my own ass first."

"Nuh uh. Your ass belongs to me, which gives me full primary kicking rights."

"Yeah, but it's still _attached_ to me, which means—"

She broke off as they reached a door. It wasn't like any of the other doors they'd encountered, though. This one was very, very large; painted a light blue where everything else was either bare steel or rock tones; and graced with a plaque of sorts proclaiming it to be the Biological Growth and Gamma-Emission Reinforcement Ray Chamber.

Shego slapped a hand to her forehead. "Can it with the stupid names, Dr. D," she groaned.

Kim puzzled her way through the acronym. "BIGGER ray chamber?" She then felt suddenly and inexplicably ill. Shego must have noticed, because she nodded at Kim.

"Yeah. I think _that'll_ kill us before whatever's in there will."

Kim could only nod in agreement.

Having no other direction to go, though, Shego blasted the door controls, and the heavy metal slid open.

Seeing darkness beyond, Shego lit a hand. Then both adventurers plunged forward.

* * *

Drakken's attention was absolutely fixed on the monitors showing Kim and Shego's progress. The audio pickups built into each camera captured their derisive commentary on his proudest achievement, and he frowned heavily at them. Even Possible's apparent discomfort—she was holding her arms over her stomach—provided him with little enjoyment. "Would you hurry up and enter already?" he growled at his monitor. To his joy, Shego blasted the door open, holding her other hand as a makeshift torch as they entered the darkened room. 

DNAmy and Professor Dementor watched warily over Drakken's shoulders. Well, Dementor more from around Drakken's elbow; Amy could still see over his shoulder. They both knew what was coming, and for whatever reason they were still nervous.

Drakken caught Dementor's tight expression out of the corner of his eye._Pfft,_ he scoffed mentally. _What can he possibly be so worried about?_

Drakken waited until the two women were well inside the vast chamber before deciding to indulge his gloating tendencies. His hand reached over and flipped a knife switch.

* * *

Down below, Kim and Shego flinched as the room they were in suddenly flashed into bright, unforgiving, fluorescent light. From the sound of their footsteps earlier, each knew the place was going to be huge, but that knowledge did nothing to prepare them for reality. 

From the outside, the cylindrical structure had seemed to be immense, rivaling most football stadiums in terms of sheer size. Now that they were inside, though, the true extent of the chamber's expanse was revealed to them. It was easily half a mile in diameter, and at least two hundred feet tall. The lighting was provided by what seemed to be an endless number of standard fluorescent lighting tubes. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all a clinical white, seamlessly blending together, except for a single "hole" in the center of the ceiling. It looked deceptively small from their current vantage point, but with the size of the place to scale it, Kim had to guess it was at least three hundred feet across.

All of that paled in comparison to what stood in the chamber with them. Three of their absolute favorite titanic rodents, the white-furred Giant Mutant Killer Cyborg Rats (_of Doom_, Shego was sorely tempted to add in a parody of Dr. D's voice), were clustered under that central "hole" in the ceiling. Shego wasn't sure how they hadn't seem them before, but when she cast a quick glance at that hole, she noticed that it was slowly lightening—_Probably he can polarize the glass to let in however much light_, she guessed.

The rats were eerily calm at the moment; they looked like they didn't even notice the ladies' arrival.

A riot of insane laughter blasted through the chamber suddenly, spooking both girls. It wasn't hard to recognize who it was, though, once they regained their equilibrium. And of course, the next words put any lingering doubt to rest.

"Welcome, welcome!" Dr. Drakken's voice boomed around them. There were no visible sources for the noise that Kim or Shego could detect. Kim glanced worriedly at the rats, but the titanic teethers seemed unaffected by the racket, staying absolutely motionless.

"You know, Kim Possible, it almost saddens me to see you go this way," Drakken continued. "But with the kind of thorn in my side you've been for so many years, it had to be done. What self-respecting villain would allow the bane of his existence to continue to exist?"

"Key word being self-respecting," Shego drolled, rolling her eyes.

Drakken apparently considered his rant a rhetorical exercise, so he hadn't been expecting a response; that much was obvious from the sputtering he did after Shego interrupted him. "That is enough out of you, you_ traitor_," Drakken spat. "Have you no sense of loyalty?"

"Hmm," Shego thought. She put a finger to her chin. "You know, I _thought_ I had left something in my other pants, but the problem with pants is, Kimmie here likes me better without 'em, I think."

She turned her smirk over to a bright-red Kim. Drakken's voice blubbered again, incoherent noises of rage at her display of casual insolence polluting the air around them.

Kim couldn't help but giggle at the aural display of discombobulatedness Shego caused.

Finally, though, Drakken managed to bring himself under some semblance of control. "Enough of your word games, Shego," he said. His voice sounded almost normal to them, back to its usual haughty tones and pretenses of gloating. "As soon as I push this button, your life as world-saving hero will be—"

"E-rat-icated, right?" Kim asked, her whole body language the very picture of bored professionalism. Shego was very proud of her.

"E-rat-i—GRAH!_Must_ you finish _every_ one of my clever rants for me?"

"Yes," Kim answered. The smirk on her own face rivaled that on Shego's.

An inarticulate snarl was the last sound over the speakers, wherever they were, that the two heard, before the three GMKCRs in the middle of the room opened their eyes as one. The effect was almost as creepy as them standing there stock-still. Again as one, their noses began to twitch, and they swiveled their gazes to lock right onto Kim.

In spite of their previous dealings with the rats, Kim found herself vaguely intimidated. They _were _huge…and there was nothing to hide behind, or climb, or use to her advantage. It was her, Shego, and three mutant monsters.

The rats took the first move, lumbering towards the girls. Kim and Shego leaped away in opposite directions when a giant foot descended towards them; thankfully, they were still in the air when it impacted, and the ground shook. Their footing on landing was only slightly disrupted.

A second rat attempted to tail-sweep Kim, but she vaulted over the ugly appendage with barely enough room to spare. The tail had to be thicker than an average man's height, she figured, but her mind was soon occupied with other things than observations—namely, commands like _Dodge! Jump! Run! Twist!_

After the initial jump, Shego watched in almost complete passivity as the three giant rodents focused exclusively on Kim. A part of her looked on in complete fascination as Kim held the rats at bay, so to speak, by simply avoiding them altogether. With one flip, in fact, she actually caused one rat to knock a second in the head with its tail; Shego couldn't tell if Kim had done that on purpose, or if it was just an added bonus. Regardless, the second rat was stunned and briefly out of the fight.

Watching Kim, Shego was reminded of the many times they'd clashed over the years and how she'd come first to respect, then appreciate the redhead's skills and athleticism. Even now she was slightly awed at how lithe and agile Kim was; where Shego utilized brute strength, Kim emphasized dexterity and quickness. Of course, Shego's plasma helped in her decision of abilities, and she was no slouch in the quickness department, either. But Kim was another story altogether. The only thing Shego'd ever known to be faster than the cheerleader was Drakken's BeBe dolls, and they had a decidedly unfair mechanical advantage.

Shego was almost as fast as Kim; Kim, almost as strong as Shego. That was one reason their fights always seemed to go on forever—Kim was frustratingly hard to hit, and Shego was frustratingly hard to beat down. It wasn't as one-sided in either direction as it might seem—Shego landed plenty of her own hits, and Kim could take the damage amazingly well—but the difference was noticeable to them, as close as they'd become.

And now…now Shego felt a sort of warm pride for Kim as she watched the younger girl bob and weave, generally being a pain-in-the-ass for the giant rats. A flash of red and a squeal of pain told Shego Kim had brought out her laser lipstick again.

Then something worrisome happened: the injured rat leveled its glare at Kim, and its eyes…Shego shuddered instinctively. Its eyes were _huge_, the eyelids opened as wide as was physically possible—and then some, the whites around the colored irises now completely bloodshot. In fact, the rat's eyes looked entirely red, and if Shego didn't know better she'd say they were glowing.

Her observations suddenly took a back seat to worry as the rat lunged with uncanny speed at Kim. The cheerleader barely dived out of the way, but at least she was spared the clumsy paw that had reached out to grab her.

Unfortunately she was not _quite_ fast enough to avoid the tail swiping into her side from one of the non-crazed creatures. The blow knocked her several dozen feet sideways, and she landed hard on her other side, finally turning it into a body roll that got her feet underneath her. Her injured side twitched in protest when she landed on it, but she pushed it aside as she shakily stood.

The rats pursued her, including the berserker version, but she'd been knocked far enough away to keep them at bay for the moment. The problem, she knew, lay in the fact that they were so damn tall, and she wasn't, and so she had to run _fast_ to keep any semblance of distance between them. She was very quick, and she knew it…but she also knew she would tire eventually, and sooner than the rats would. Her lipstick laser had served, apparently, only to mildly injure and severely annoy the berserked rat, so her options were a bit limited.

Well, okay, "a bit" was being optimistic. She had two options: get the rats to fight each other, or die trying. She'd been successful at the first one so far, but that one tail slap had taken a good chunk of the wind out of her, and she wasn't sure how many more of those hits she could take; of course, every hit would only decrease her ability to not get hit again.

Shego watched Kim lead the rats on a desperate chase around the huge chamber, trying desperately to think of a plan. She jogged behind the rats to keep up in case Kim needed some emergency help; she didn't understand why she was being left alone like she was. It didn't make any sense; Drakken knew that Shego wasn't going to come back any time soon—_like, ever,_ she scoffed mentally—so he'd have to take the both of them out…

Then it clicked. _Divide and conquer_, she thought sullenly. _So my little "talks" with Dr. D actually sank in, huh?_ Shego didn't know how many times she'd chided Drakken about the need to separate Kim and the buffoon, else the two figure out how to escape death trap number eight-hundred-twenty-seven (or whichever one it was at the time...she'd thrown _The Book of Diabolical Death-Traps_ away her first day on the job) and foil Drakken's plans yet again, but he'd never listened then. Now, though…Shego didn't know what had changed, but it seemed Drakken was playing a whole new game of smart, and she didn't like that. Didn't like it one bit.

Deciding to experiment, Shego ignited her hands again and lobbed a pair of plasma balls at the back of the rearmost rat, ergo the one closest to her. Unexpectedly—but in a very welcome manner, inasmuch as that was possible—the projectiles exploded violently, giving that rat a bit too much extra forward momentum. It stumbled, and two large circles appeared on its back, smoldering and smoking. The rat seemed to totter for a moment, but it regained itself quickly, and Shego thought she noted the same reddened, bloodshot quality to the one eye she could see, before the rat took off after Kim again, moving faster now than before. Shego gave chase, hurling plasma at what she hoped counted as vital areas.

Kim, meanwhile, had reached Wade on her wrist-mounted Kimmunicator. "No time for pleasantries—I need a scan of me," she said, mentally cursing herself for not having done this earlier. She'd meant to, but after coffee in the morning she'd attacked her homework with as much vigor as she could muster and had forgotten completely.

"Got it," the young genius said, fingers flying as he worked the Kimmunicator in reverse. From one of several micro-sized lenses a thin green beam shot out, impacting Kim's forehead. It swept sideways, forming a horizontal bar, before it descended head to foot in half a second.

"Today, Wade," Kim growled, dodging to the side and rolling into a somersault as a giant paw swiped at the space she'd just occupied.

"Hmm," he said.

"Details! I need more than 'hmm'!" Kim snapped.

"Sorry, Kim," he apologized, "but this is odd. According to my scans…you smell funny."

"I what?"

"Your body's giving off some…scent, some kind of marker, that makes the GMKCRs focus exclusively on you."

"Okay, _so_ odd," she muttered, before recognition flashed in her mind. Her other hand flew to the back of her neck. "The spider-thing!"

"Details," Wade teased.

"That mecha-spider, it pricked my neck. It must have done something then!"

"Ah hah," Wade answered, bending back over his keyboards.

Kim kept up her evasive maneuvers; she knew she couldn't outrun the rats forever, so in a desperate move she stopped dead in her tracks, turned, and ran right back _at_ the rats. At the last second she ducked and activated her rocket skates. The gadgets punched her forward with a speed she could never have achieved on her own, and she flew under all three of her foes faster than they could react, even the berserker ones.

Faster, even, than Shego could react.

Kim slammed into her lover rather unceremoniously, and Shego _whoofed_ as the air was driven from her lungs, but the skates weren't finished with them yet, and the two blasted clear across the room, almost back to where Kim had started running in the first place.

The first rat stopped when Kim flashed under it; the other two didn't notice in time, which resulted in them barreling into the first. In spite of their increased strength, their momentum proved too much, and they went down in a heap. Animal instincts took over, and they bit and clawed and scratched and kicked at each other as they tried to sort themselves out. The sheer noise involved assaulted both Kim's and Shego's ears, the sealed, dome-ceilinged room doing nothing to abate the noise. Kim's rocket skates finally shut off, and they coasted to a stop a good five hundred yards from the rats. She set Shego down, then flopped on the floor herself to catch her breath, closing her eyes.

Shego looked down at her Princess, one eyebrow raised. "That had to be the strangest game of tag I've ever seen."

Kim opened one eye and stared up at Shego. "Wade says they're all stuck on me thanks to that spider."

Right on cue, her wrist beeped its typical happy-minor-third melody. It seemed strangely out-of-place in the current situation.

Kim raised her arm. "Go, Wade."

"You were right, Kim," Wade said. "The scan says you've got a…marker, of sorts, on the back of your neck. It looks like you got tagged, genetically, to be especially appealing to the rats."

"Great," Kim groaned. "Not only that, but they're, like, berserking or something. Every time they get hurt, they just get angry…and faster, and stronger."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too," Shego put in. "I blasted one but I think it just made it mad, even if it exploded better than usual."

"Hold your Kimmunicator up," Wade said, and Kim did as obeyed. A small slot on the far side of the device opened, and a small _piff_ of compressed air heralded the launch of…something, Kim couldn't tell what, from the area. After a few seconds of waiting, she heard a beep come through from Wade's end of the connection.

"What's the sitch?"

"Just launched a probe," Wade answered distractedly, his eyes—and mind—clearly on another monitor as he continued typing furiously. "Just like I thought. Based on blood work, the rats this time have been engineered to do just like you said. The more they get hurt, the angrier they get, and the stronger and faster they get."

Kim moaned. "So is there _any_ way to stop these?"

"Two options. Calm them down enough and they won't even move…or take them down hard and fast. They can still die, they just disregard their injuries while alive."

Shego, keeping an eye on the rats in question, pulled a protesting Kim back to her feet. "Looks like the second option," she said grimly. "That little prick of yours"—she smiled involuntarily—"seems to have gotten their attention again."

Sure enough, two of the three rats were back on their feet. Both were also turned toward Kim and Shego. To Kim's horror, the third rat lay on the ground broken and bleeding, deep wounds visible over various parts of its body—including a large gash on its neck, leaving a flap of skin hanging freely over what used to comprise that rat's jugular vein.

As they watched, the rat began to shrink, just like the other ones a few days ago; without a living being's bioelectrical systems to power the cybernetics, there was nothing holding the growth ray's power in place, so it dissipated harmlessly while the rat reduced in size to what it ought to have been, lying there in a pool of blood.

Shego's strong arms under her own were what saved Kim from simply dropping bonelessly to the floor. The young adventurer felt so weak-kneed from the sight of the dead rat that she even tuned out the approaching ones. She barely even registered her girlfriend behind her, holding her up—that is, until Shego shook her once, sharply.

"Head back in the game, Princess," Shego said, and her tone was grim. "It's nasty, yeah, but you got two things to remember. One, it's just an animal. Two, its brothers are coming back to do that to _you_."

Kim slowly came out of her funk. It was almost too slow, though; by the time she returned to reality, the other killer rats were only a few steps away.

"Okay…I'm okay," Kim said, fighting to keep the contents of her stomach from once again seeing the light of day. Shego removed her arms and stepped up next to her, her hands once again going alight with her trademark green energy.

"Keep running, if you can," Shego said. "I'll try and buy you some more time while you think of something."

Kim cast a quick glance at her. _Those sounded an awful lot like last words_, she thought, but from the look of concentration on Shego's face, she could tell that the former mercenary was far from looking to die.

"Go!" Shego shouted, and Kim went. She ran off straight to her left, casting one look behind her. It seemed, for the moment, that the animated patterns of Shego's hands had the rats entranced, but she couldn't count on that lasting forever, especially with the trigger scent Wade said she bore.

Speaking of whom…

"Wade," she called, thumbing her Kimmunicator to life again, "got anything to shut down the mechanics in those rats again?"

"Another EMP should do the trick," Wade answered, "but the batteries in your Kimmunicator are only good for one shot, and it would be really tough to get both rats in a small enough space to affect them at the same time."

"Don't think I can do it?"

"I don't doubt your abilities, Kim—the rats' heads are simply too big to get into the right-sized small space."

A heavy thud shook the floor just then, and it was all Kim could do to maintain her balance.

Far behind her, Shego watched in morbid fascination as the rat she had just dumped a double-fistful of plasma into keeled over. She'd tried a couple of normal shots, just like last time, and was rewarded with the same brilliantly-successful explosions she'd seen before._I guess these ones are rigged to blow, instead of being fireproofed_, she'd mused, before charging up her hands and letting loose. The high-powered shot lacked any sort of grace in its execution—she'd almost fallen over from the force—but it more than made up for that in its effect.

The double-shot had landed square under the left shoulder blade, exploding violently. She'd known something different had happened when the fur surrounding the shot began to rapidly take on a red coloration, but with the smoke from the blow still in the way she couldn't see any other sign of damage.

Then it fell over.

In the few seconds from the rat standing at its full height, to dropping to the ground, Shego saw what she'd managed: a still-smoking hole was visible in the rat's back, and she could see a few organs from her vantage point, as well as the rapidly-draining blood staining its coat.

When her shot impacted, the explosive force tore the skin apart without abating much, if any, of its imparted energy. As a result, the plasma ball heated and weakened the rat's ribcage, and the kinetic energy snapped the stressed bones clean apart. Momentum—and its little brother, impulse—being their usual uncaring selves, it had driven the bone fragments forward and sideways, tearing clean through the rat's left lung and shredding its heart...and quite obviously killing it instantly.

When the ground finally settled, Shego's stomach took up the rocking motions; she turned around and retched, vomiting up what felt like everything she'd had in the last week. _And _that_, ladies and gents, is why I couldn't ever kill somebody_…

The final rat, though, remained focused on Kim, who once again resumed her dodge-and-dance routine, evading as many blows as she could while Wade continued to fill her in on what to do.

* * *

Dr. Drakken continued to watch the video feed of the epic battle taking place a few rooms away, but his confidence was growing thinner as he watched the rat supply dwindle to a single crazed, bloodthirsty maniac. He began muttering under his breath, speaking obscenities that anyone that knew him would be shocked to hear, while pacing side to side in front of the monitor. 

No one else, though, was there to comment; Professor Dementor cast one last look as his obviously-crazy comrade before slipping into the escape tunnel and sealing the door behind himself. It hissed shut, but as no further noise came, it was obvious that Drakken was too absorbed to flee.

Dementor put the crazy man out of his mind and concentrated on his own well-being.

* * *

Kim directed herself back towards Shego, who was standing again. A touch on her Kimmunicator activated her rocket skates again, slowly increasing the distance between her and her pursuer. She swept Shego away again, but the skates quit early, running out of power only another hundred yards away. 

_That's far enough_, Kim thought. "You okay?" she asked the obviously-shaken woman.

"I'll get there," Shego replied. Her green skin was far paler than normal.

"Okay. No time to waste, but I got a plan."

"Give it to me."

Kim nodded. "Wade's got an EMP pulse set up to fire and disable the cybernetics in the last rat. Problem is, I need to get to its head level. Only way to do that is to use the walls."

"Look, Cupcake, your skates are out of juice, and you plain can't run _up_ the walls." If there was any doubt as to Shego's doubt, the raised eyebrow put it to rest.

"I know, which is why we do this…"

The conference was hurried, and rightfully so; in the ten or so seconds it took, the rat closed the remaining distance. Shego turned and shot at its foot, slowing it down for half a second as it recoiled from the surprise and regained its balance, but that half-second was all the two ladies needed to start running toward the wall.

By the time they reached it, though, the rat had managed to close the distance once again. Still running, Kim looked over at Shego and nodded; as one, they jumped.

Athletic leapers both, they easily cleared the level of the rat's knees before their jump paths crossed; Shego crossed her arms in front of her face, and Kim planted both feet on the intersection before shoving off once again. The force of Kim's jump shoved Shego back toward the ground, but she righted herself and landed in a crouch, letting her knees and ankles absorb the force. She placed one last shot at the rat's foot and was rewarded with it flailing around as it tried to keep its balance.

Kim continued her flight toward the wall, twisting in midair to land against it with both feet before pushing off again, sailing up and away toward the rat. She was close…getting closer…_so_ close…but not close enough for the Kimmunicator to do its job, and she began to fall.

Her hope sinking faster than she was, she unexpectedly stopped as she landed on the rat's forearm. She slipped and fell, landing hard, but the reality of her situation presented itself quickly enough and she got back on her feet.

The arm she was on swept suddenly upwards, and Kim leapt when she felt the upward momentum cease.

_This_ time she was close enough.

With a touch on the side of her Kimmunicator, she sent the signal to Wade, who in turn executed his preprogrammed command.

The same hatch that had released the dart probe earlier slid open, and a cone of bluish energy lashed out, bathing the rat's head in pulse after pulse of disruptive electromagnetic energy.

The rat jerked once and began to shrink.

Kim landed back on its chest, scrambling for fur to hold onto as the rat returned to its normal size; at about halfway down she released and landed hard on the floor. The rat continued to shrink. When it regained its normal size, though, it screed and ran after Kim once again. The tired adventurer only watched as a green energy missile darted in from the side and obliterated the rat entirely; there wasn't even a trace of it when the light disappeared.

Kim flopped onto her back, breathing heavily, and turned her head to the side to see Shego stalking over, a frown on her pretty face. "Didn't have to do that," Kim chided her.

"Shut up, Kimmie," Shego said, and Kim was surprised to hear the other woman's voice so thick with emotion. "C'mon. We're not done yet." With that she pulled the protesting teen to her feet once again, this time marching them over to the doors.

* * *

Drakken backed away from the monitor slowly, watching as Kim and Shego left the camera's viewable area. Every instinct told him to make a break for the escape hatches…but reason said he had to destroy the evidence of his lair and their experiments, even if it meant taking the whole base with it. So he ran back to a console and began to furiously input the commands for the self-destruct sequence (a compromise between himself and Dementor; every base needed a self-destruct, just in case, he reasoned, but Dementor had ruled that there was _no_ reason to have it tied to a single red button). 

He was about to strike the enter key for the final command when the door exploded open, and a pair of very tired-looking, but also very _very_ pissed-off-looking, women strode through the debris. His hand twitched toward the keyboard, but a green blast of plasma beat him to it and melted the device into so much plastic-and-metal slag.

"Ah ah ah, Dr. D," Shego tsked, even going so far as to wave a plasma-sheathed finger at him. "Naughty boys lose play time and have to go sit in a corner!" So saying, she gave him a not-insignificant boot to the rear, and the blue-skinned madman flew across the room, smashing into—what else?—the far corner of the room. Emitting a pained groan, Drakken slid down the wall until he was an unmoving heap on the floor.

"The others got away," Kim growled from across the room.

"Thought it looked a bit empty in here," Shego confirmed. "And I'll bet here"—she blasted a plain-looking segment of wall, which vaporized and revealed a long, down-sloping passage behind it—"is where they went."

Kim shook her head. "How'd you know that?"

"First, it was the _only_ blank wall in the place. Second, I _was_ a Bad Guy for a long time, remember? They do things in certain ways."

Kim shook her head, instead occupying herself with calling Wade and getting him to contact Global Justice to come sweep the rest of the place up.

As they waited, Shego remarked, "Frankly, I'm surprised there weren't more goons, real or otherwise."

"Otherwise?"

"Syntho-drones, you know?"

"Right…well, we _did_ see a lot outside."

"Yeah, and this is a big place. There should've been more here."

Kim shrugged. "Maybe they were counting on those last rats too much."

"You're probably right," Shego conceded.

It was only a few minutes later that the Kimmunicator crackled back to life, this time showing the face of a certain eyepatch-bearing, underground-police-force-directing, jumpsuit-wearing woman that both Kim and Shego knew very well.

"Well done, Kimberly, and you too, Shego. This catch will mean the menace facing the city will be greatly reduced," Betty Director congratulated them.

"Yeah, but the other two got away," Kim said, sounding disheartened.

"That may be so, but the greatest threat here was them working together," Dr. Director assured her. "While they may be on the loose, they were hardly a threat to you before, and I see no reason why, separate once again, they will be a threat to you now." She cast a knowing glance to the side, where Shego was watching the conversation over Kim's shoulder.

Kim turned to see what the one-eyed woman was looking at, and smiled when she saw. "Especially now," she agreed, taking a step back and throwing an arm around Shego's shoulders.

Shego just rolled her eyes. "So, Dr. D, about our arrangement?"

Kim blinked. "But I thought he was unconscious…"

"She means me, Kimberly," Dr. Director sighed. "An…unfortunate similarity in names. Back to you, though, Miss Go…I'm afraid I have to ask that you remain with Miss Possible until the other two are brought in, as well."

"Was afraid of that," Shego grumbled.

Dr. Director gave her a wry smile. "I was under the impression that the…conditions for your behavior were not that much of a burden."

"Yeah, but they're still a burden, which I'd like to be gone."

"I can understand that." The leader of Global Justice nodded. "Go home and get some rest, you two. With what's been done here today, you deserve it…and I have a feeling that, after today, things will be pretty quiet around there for a while."

* * *

A/N: I could keep going, but that would kill this even more than it's already dead. 

Anyway, I was originally planning on having them nab all 3 villains at once…but with the plans I have so far, piecemeal captures work much better. Fear not, though; it won't take 8 chapters each for the next two, 'cause really the GMKCRs started as a laff-a-minute idea that I got way too carried away with. Hopefully they won't seem like easy victories; they'll just be more structured and easier for _me_ to set up.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. Close of Major Villain Arc #1. As always, constructive reviews help me make this more enjoyable for _you_. 'Cause _you_ are what it's all about.


	16. Chapter 16: Here we Go City Again

Yet Another KiGo Fic – Chapter 16

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned herein are not my property, with the sole exception of the new villain. Disney owns most of them; StarvingLunatic owns Kane and Isabel.

--

_The area was dark, save for the six of them._

_Shego could only watch as Kim Possible, her one-time arch-nemesis and current love interest, landed on the back of a gigantic, mutated, cybernetically-enhanced lab rat, her gloved hands scrambling for purchase. The rats were immensely tall, which meant Shego couldn't leap to Kim's location to help. There were also four of them, each one staring straight at her, their giant glares pinning her in place with a malevolence usually seen only in humans. As she watched, Kim began to slide._

_Panic gripped Shego. It was an unfamiliar sensation. She'd been afraid before, but the sheer terror and inability to operate was wholly new to her being. She wanted to do something, anything. She wanted to fly in and sweep Kim off the rat's back. She wanted to blast the thing to smithereens. She wanted to jump and catch Kim in her arms, planting the teen hero safely somewhere before filleting the giant science-fiction-monster rejects. _Anything_ would have been better than standing stock-still in a stultifying stupor._

_Sadly, it wouldn't come to be._

_Kim plummeted down the rat's side, screaming as she went. She only picked up more and more speed the more she scrabbled. Shego watched helplessly, with a growing sense of absolute dread, as her lover finally slipped off the rat itself, hurtling toward the unforgiving concrete at just shy of terminal velocity._

_Kim's legs hit first, and Shego thought she could hear the impact as her boots hit the concrete. The shock snapped almost every bone in her legs, and must have broken the ball joints in her hips, as Shego watched her legs bend in wholly wrong directions and fold up against her side. Kim's head struck the concrete, and this time Shego _knew_ she heard the gut-twisting, sickening sound of her skull thunking and cracking on the hard surface. As she watched, blood poured out, and some of the gray matter of Kim's brain was visible through the egg shell-style crack._

_Shego's own knees gave out at the utter destruction wrought on her beloved. She could feel her gorge rising as the scene assaulted her senses, and didn't even try to stop it as her stomach pumped itself. She vomited repeatedly, but still couldn't tear her eyes away from Kim's corpse. As she watched, a rat backed up to step on it—and, with a sadistic gleam in its eye, stepped again, and again, and again. Shego was nearly numb now, so the sound of more cracking bones didn't cause her to vomit again, and the crater its foot left behind was stained bright red._

_Of Kim, there was nothing left._

_Everything supporting Shego's world collapsed at just that second. She actually welcomed the feeling of doom as she saw another shadow looming over her, and when another rat's foot came down atop her she had only one thought:_

_I'll be seeing you soon, Kimmie…_

--

"KIMMIE!" Shego shrieked, bolting straight upright, breathing like she'd just run several miles. The same panic was in her system, freezing her in place as she tried to figure out just where she was.

The darkness didn't help set her mind at ease. Her eyes, taking their sweet time to adjust to the setting, roved around the room, seeking something to latch onto and provide some sense of familiarity. She saw, to her slight disbelief, that they were in her bedroom, in her parents' house. That detail didn't have time to raise any questions, though.

"Shego?" a sleepy voice next to her asked.

The panicked woman turned quickly, her eyes settling on the room's other occupant. She felt the panic recede, to be replaced only by a deep sense of appreciation and longing. She could also feel her eyes start to prickle with tears. They wouldn't stay away; the nightmare had been simply too real.

Kim Possible watched as her favoritest person in the universe began to break down into tears right in front of her. Shego's shriek had woken her up rather suddenly, and seeing the pale woman breathing as hard as she was, could assume one of two things had happened. One, her brothers or parents had goosed her or something, or two, she just had a really, _really_ bad nightmare.

From Shego's actions—and the lack of anyone else in the room—Kim was reasonably assured it was number two.

She sat up in bed as well and wrapped her arms around Shego's shoulders, pulling the other woman against her as she wept. She felt Shego's arms go around her waist, and they cinched tightly as Shego kept her face at her favorite spot between Kim's neck and shoulder. Kim rubbed her back as she rocked gently, hoping to calm Shego down. "It's okay, I'm right here," she said. It felt…out of place for her to be treating Shego like a little kid. "I'm not going anywhere."

Shego delivered one final squeeze to Kim's waist before she sniffed mightily and sat back. She kept her hands on Kim's knee, almost like she was afraid Kim would vanish. "Sorry," she said, wiping her eyes with one hand. "I just…it…just…"

"Shh," Kim replied, leaning forward herself to kiss the slightly taller girl on the forehead. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. Even if that was a bit out of character," she added, half-smiling in spite of the dark.

A ghost of Shego's usual smirk formed on her lips. "Don't I know it," she said, a bit of sarcasm fighting the watery quality of her voice.

"I'm all ears if you want, but I'd rather you not feel pressured."

Shego shook her head. "How can you be so damn mature? Isn't that a bit 'out of character' for you?"

Kim's smile turned to a grin. "Shego, it's"—she looked over her shoulder—"four in the morning. Anyone's allowed to be weird at this time."

With a final sniff, Shego shrugged. "If I don't say anything now, it's gonna haunt me." She took a deep breath, steeling herself to relive the godawful nightmare. "It was a bad dream," she said, and could feel her eyes starting to water again. This time, though, she squeezed them shut and waited until she felt safe enough to open them again. "We were fighting the rats again, the same time as when we found they were all greased up. You…it was just like it should have happened. You landed on the back of one, but instead of grabbing its fur you started to slide."

She sniffed again, and couldn't stop the tears this time as they welled up in her eyes. "I couldn't act. I was so afraid of what was going on. You couldn't be falling, Kimmie! You could do anything, even get a grip on some stupid rat furs…but you couldn't, and I couldn't, and I wanted to save you but I couldn't move and I couldn't shoot it down and I couldn't fly and catch you and…!" She paused as a heaving sob forced its way out, and Kim grabbed Shego's free hand and squeezed it, proving she really _was_ still there. Shego squeezed back before continuing. "I couldn't move, Kimmie. Couldn't even _try_ to save you. And then you hit the ground going so fast you practically split in two…And the rat you were on decided to step on you. Over and over and over again. And I gave up right there, just in time for another one to step on me, and I was only relieved 'cause I thought I'd be coming with you, but I wasn't sure…and that's when I woke up."

Kim was almost speechless. "I…don't know what to say."

Shego sniffed again. "You don't have to say anything," she told Kim, her voice finally back under some semblance of control. "Just stay with me…"

Kim nodded and sidled up against Shego. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Shego, and nothing will take me away from you."

She kept her arms around Shego as the slightly older woman cried herself back to sleep. Kim laid her back down, glanced at the clock again, and decided Shego's well-being trumped waking up early enough to make it back to her own dorm for her stuff for class. She quickly followed her lover back to dreamland.

--

Shego awoke the next morning to find her right arm mostly numb and her waist held hostage by an adorably cute red-haired vixen. Kim's head was resting on Shego's bicep, so the greenish woman moved her arm enough to get it out. Immediately the pins and needles set in, so she draped it across Kim's shoulder while the sensation faded away.

The extra pressure apparently woke the slender hero, because she shifted under the arm, making little sleepy groaning noises that Shego found absolutely adorable. Her eyes blinked open slowly.

"Morning, Princess," Shego said with a smile.

"Is it really morning?" Kim responded, stretching out a little bit. The motion reminded Shego strongly of a cat.

Glancing at the clock, she answered, "Meh."

"Meh?"

"It's after eleven. That still counts as morning, since it's before lunch."

"Eleven?" Kim echoed dumbly. Then she blinked again and tried to sit up, but her arms around Shego, and Shego's arm around her, quite effectively prevented that. Kim groaned. "Guess I miss a whole day, then."

"You don't want to spend a day with me?" Shego asked, faking the hurt in her voice very convincingly, she thought.

"What? No! Yes! Wait, that's not it!"

Shego laughed at Kim's panic revving up and slowing down twice in ten seconds. "Easy, Cupcake. Look, you're enough of a nerd already; how's missing one day of classes going to hurt?"

"Shego!" Kim said, using her free hand to smack the pale stomach in front of her. "I'm not a nerd!"

"Sure you're not. Everyone in the world can figure out the geometry for running up a wall and jumping onto a moving target." When Kim only grumbled in response, Shego giggled. "Anyway…aren't we a bit far from the school anyway? This _is_ my house."

"That's why I was afraid of waking up so late," Kim answered. She yawned.

"Meh," Shego repeated. "Like I said: skipping a day's not going to hurt."

"I guess you're right," Kim replied, snuggling close again.

Shego smiled. "Of course I'm right. Aren't I always?"

"I'm still too tired to think of one of the many examples where you weren't."

"And thus I win." She had a nasty grin ready for when Kim turned to look up at her, annoyed.

"You are going _down_," Kim growled.

Shego's grin increased. "You forgot to ask nicely, Princess…unless you want to play 'Mistress and her love slave.'"

She threw her head back on the pillow and laughed when Kim's eyes went wide, and she laughed even harder when Kim turned bright red. Shego's arm tightened around her shoulder, helping the cheerleader hide her face in Shego's midsection. When Shego finally calmed down, she sat up, taking Kim's head and placing it in her lap. "So, Kimmie," she said, idly stroking her hair, "what _would_ you like to do today?"

Snuggling closer, Kim turned to look up at Shego again. "Make you feel better," she answered simply.

"Been there, done that." Shego waved the comment off. She gestured at her slightly-tear-stained collar. "Even got the t-shirt."

Kim giggled. "Still, if I'm skipping the day, then I want to make it a 'you' day."

"Isn't that a bit…off?" Shego asked. "Shouldn't you want to spend it how you want?"

"And what makes you think this isn't what I want?"

"Awww." She ruffled Kim's hair. "You are too cute sometimes. But you gotta think of yourself, too, you know."

"I am," Kim replied, with an entirely too-innocent expression.

It took Shego a second to get the implication. "Oh _ho_," she said, an evil smile returning to her face. "Little Kimmie's hoping to get laid later after showing her girlfriend a good time today." It was a statement, not a guess.

Kim looked up and away, that cherubic look still gracing her features. "Maybe," she said playfully, drawing the word out.

A low chuckle was her only answer before Shego kissed the top of her head. "Alright, you scamp. I, for one, am looking forward to this 'pamper Shego' day, so let's get to it."

With that, Kim practically leapt off the bed, Shego following right behind at only a fractionally slower pace. The red-haired hero scampered off to find the shower first; she promised herself to make it extra-quick, too, so Shego could have all the hot water she wanted. Shego herself spent a few minutes just stretching, using the nearly mindless activity to finish waking up and push the unwanted remembrances of that godawful nightmare to the back of her mind.

Soon enough it was her turn for the shower; Kim' mischievous side was showing, and she brandished her still-wet towel to try and snap Shego with it; the pale woman simply ignited one of her hands while raising an eyebrow. The expression and gesture combined made Kim think twice, maybe even three times, about the move, so she lowered the towel and let go with one hand so it wasn't rigid anymore. Shego put her hand out and sauntered past, but just before she closed the door Kim's towel whipped out and, with a healthy-sounding _SMACK!_, nailed her right on the left butt-cheek.

The outraged howl that followed was nearly equaled by the shriek of laughter from Kim, who took off running as quickly as she could.

--

A short while later, the two ladies were idling their time away with a simple walk through a local park. It was actually something of a shortcut to get to their real destination, but it was a nice day outside, and given Shego's troubles during the night, something as relaxing as this was just what the doctor ordered.

_Well, just what Mommy ordered_, Shego reminded herself with a bit of a mental smirk. Isabel Go had come in at just the right time to save Kim's life, as when Shego came out of the shower she had put the littler girl into the most inescapable headlock Kim had ever had. Nothing she did loosened the grip, and she wasn't about to try to hurt Shego to get out of it; hey, she was far from panicking over it. She just wanted out so they could horse around some more.

When Isabel had walked in, she'd stopped in her tracks at the somewhat surprising sight; after all, there was Kim Possible, world-famous teen hero and martial artist extraordinaire, being held in a headlock by Isabel's own still-naked daughter. The headlock didn't bother her, nor did the nudity; to Isabel, they were quite obviously playing around, and were also obviously involved, given what she knew from when her little firefly had last come home. She was just mildly surprised that they were so blatant about their choice of location. She figured Shego would have attacked Kim in the relative safety of her bedroom, instead of here in the hallway.

It had been about three seconds after Kim noticed Isabel that she had felt the back of her shirt warming and getting damp in two very obvious locations. With one hand she reached behind herself and probed a bit…and turned a _very_ bright shade of red when she realized Shego wasn't wearing a towel.

Shego, of course, had been having a ball, even with her Mommy standing right there. The other woman's presence did dampen her enjoyment a bit, but that was resolved when Isabel waved a hand in a "carry on" gesture and walked away, saying not a word. The green-skinned girl had wrapped one of her legs around Kim's waist, pulling the slender hero into herself, and leaned down to Kim's ear. "Say 'Shego,'" she purred, tracing her tongue along the outer edge of the ear.

Kim had shivered almost violently, moaning the other woman's name. Shego released her and spun her around, giving her a quick kiss before the slightly-disoriented girl could do anything about it, and then she trotted off to get dressed.

A little while after that, Isabel had "suggested" they go and do some shopping. Actually, she'd practically all-out ordered Shego to take the girl to a clothier. They had originally dropped in on the house somewhat unannounced, but after the big showdown at Drakken's lair they just wanted a place to be away from the world for a day or three. The only problem with that plan was that Kim didn't have any clothing beyond what was on her back…and while she certainly knew that Shego was highly fashionable—she actually still had that green coat from Club Banana that Kim had wanted all those years ago—the greenish woman was still slightly larger than Kim in all dimensions except around the waist.

All of that led to their current location—namely, strolling through Go Stoppen Park on a wonderfully nice day. It was almost like the weather was granting them special consideration because of the difficulty they'd just been through…not that either of them was going to complain about it. In fact, the scene was so idyllic that Kim, walking close enough to Shego that their shoulders touched, easily grabbed the other girl's hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Shego looked over at the contact, but didn't say anything; in fact, she squeezed right back, settling for a simple smile on her face. It was so weird, in her mind; here she was, this righteously badass woman who could throw plasma around and put her fist through metal, not to mention tie somebody into a pretzel from her hand-to-hand prowess, and yet she was drawing such pleasure and contentment from a simple gesture like holding Kim's hand. _Such is life, I suppose_, she decided.

"You know," Kim said, breaking into Shego's thoughts, "I meant what I said this morning."

That usual eyebrow went back up. "What's that?"

"That I love you," Kim answered, delivering another squeeze to Shego's hand, "and that, as long as we last, I won't leave you."

Shego shook her head. _Such simple words…and yet when _she_ says them, they sound so ironclad._ She freed her hand from Kim's, but before the adventurer could protest she put it across Kim's shoulders instead, pulling her closer. "You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing that, Kimmie," she said quietly. "I just…wish we'd had our little heart-to-heart a bit sooner than we really did."

"No big," Kim said, shrugging under Shego's arm. "After all, it's not like we ever really hurt each other before, right?"

Shego cast a doubting eye on her smaller companion. "I suppose not, physically speaking…but you can't tell me you _liked_ it when I insulted you or your screwball buddy, or when I locked you into Drakken's death-traps, or a bunch of the other shit we did."

Kim was silent for a moment while they walked. By now they were nearing the edge of the park, and the noise level from the seven-lane city streets was beginning to grow. When she spoke again she needed to raise her voice slightly to be heard.

"You're right," she half-shouted. "I mean, I didn't like it. After all, you just wouldn't go away and you were always just good enough to keep me from winning easily—not that you were bad, but that it was almost like you couldn't be bothered to fight—and then there was always the dissing of my fashion sense." She shook her head. "I like to think I'm on top of things, especially with Monique around. I guess the only thing that really got injured in our fights was my pride."

"That's half the point, Princess," Shego said idly as they reached the street. She leaned down a bit to talk into Kim's ear. "What I said? Utter bullshit. Why I said it? Keep you off-balance, get you angry and not thinking clearly, all that. It's what I was supposed to do, anyway."

"I know," Kim sighed. "I just wish I didn't buy it so easily."

The conversation fell to a bit of a lull then, but Shego didn't take her arm from Kim's shoulders. A couple of miles later they arrived at the entrance to the Go Fourward Fashion Boutique, a collection of the four trendiest clothing stores centered in one convenient location. To Kim's mild surprise, Club Banana was actually one of the featured establishments.

Shego used the arm from Kim's shoulder to open the door, allowing the hero to precede her in. Once inside, though, Shego took over again, directing her passenger to the first door in the place. "You'll love it, Princess," she said to a protesting Kim, just before the door shut, sealing them in.

--

Victoria Jennessy, investment banker par excellence, was accustomed to some strange things from her life in Go City. At five-foot ten, with gray eyes, platinum-blonde hair, and skin pale enough it almost looked white, she herself looked to be nearly bleached out of existence. And besides, it wasn't every city in the country that had a costumed group of super-heroes showing up every few hours to stop some crime or catastrophe or _something_. Even the one member of that group who'd gone rogue wasn't much of an issue there, since Victoria knew enough time spent doing one thing in this city would drive _anyone_ nuts. Hell, even the giant rats of a week ago, while a surprise, didn't scare anyone they didn't directly threaten. Go City just seemed to be a magnet for weirdness.

In fact, right this moment was a perfect example. Victoria was being held, at gunpoint…by an upright, walking, two-legged…alligator. _Or crocodile_, she mused. _I never could tell them apart_.

The reptile had simply been walking along the sidewalk on all fours like it normally should, when she happened past it…and the thing instantly turned to one side, climbed partway up a building wall, and pushed off to stand upright, revealing the…odd sight of a pocket along its underbelly, kind of like what she expected to see on a kangaroo. It reached a hand—one, she noted with an odd sense of detachment, with five fingers—into the pocket and produced a handgun. The sight of a four-foot-tall gun-toting escapee from the zoo was simply too absurd for her to feel any real fear, though the sound of the gun cocking was real enough.

The gator/croc thingy reached back into its pocket and produced a note, gesturing with the handgun for her to take it and, presumably, read it. The toothy grin all reptiles of its kind sported did little to reinforce the seriousness of the situation, but she took it anyway, if only to humor the thing. After all, it _did_ have a gun. Unfolding the paper, she read:

_Madam Jennessy,_

_I do so apologize for the manner of this note's conveyance,_

_but I simply must have it delivered to you at any cost. I need _

_your help. You see, it has come to my attention that you are a_

_rather successful woman in your field, and I have found that I_

_have a rather severe need of your talents. My little venture is_

_proving quite unprofitable at this moment, and to continue I_

_require the very services you provide. I pray you find it within_

_yourself to assist me in this endeavour, for my sake as well_

_as your own safety. You see, my lady, I must have the numbers_

_used to access your various client accounts. If you would write_

_them on this note and pass it back to my man standing there_

_with you, then you will maintain your vitality. Should you try_

_to play the hero, he will not hesitate to pull that trigger; my _

_instructions are very specific. I do hope you choose well._

_Cheers,_

_Yours in all things,_

_The Int._

Victoria wasn't quite sure what to think at the moment; several things flowed through her mind as she stared quite sightlessly at the little note. She'd never even _heard_ of this "The Int." character, for one thing; how he'd singled her out was beyond her. How he even knew what she did was something of a shock.

Then there was his "man." That grinning gator was still just standing there, one humaniform hand held out to accept the note, the other holding the gun in a rock-steady grip. It was even pointed at her.

Deciding that discretion was quite possibly the better part of valor, Victoria took a pen out of her purse and scribbled some of the numbers she could remember on the note before handing it back to the waiting gun-gator. The beast put both items back in the pouch before dropping back to all fours and waddling away like it was right at home in the swamps.

Victoria couldn't decide if she should be frightened out of her mind or rolling on the sidewalk, laughing her head off. A third part of her brain thus took over, and she pulled her cellphone from her purse, tossing the pen aside as she dialed up the Go City Police Department. Her work for the investment company meant she had ties to as many law-enforcement agencies as she could get, which is how she got a direct line to the detective's offices instead of having to wait through insufferably long phone menus or dialing 911.

--

At a desk, a phone rang.

It rang again.

It rang again, and yet again, before a hand slammed down on the old-fashioned handset and lifted it from the cradle. The hand lifted it to an ear, and a voice spoke.

"Nick Danger, Third Eye." The voice belonged to a trim man in his early thirties, dark brown hair in a thick, unruly, yet short mop on his head, resting above a pair of equally dark brown eyes.

"Nick, it's Vicky."

"Heya, Vicks. What're you up to, robbing some more poor suckers blind?"

"If you count me as a poor sucker, then sure." Her voice was a tad less than amused…but not angry.

Nicholas Gerard Danger, III, sat forward in his chair as this bit of unexpectedly personal news came in. "What happened?" he asked, suddenly the very model of professionalism.

"The strangest thing I think anyone's ever seen," was his answer.

"Specifics, Vicks."

"I just got held up by a gun-toting alligator. Or maybe it was a crocodile. I never could tell them apart."

"No one can," he answered automatically. _Fuck. She's the third one today, and eighteenth this week._ "Are you hurt?"

"No…it was weird. He stood up, pulled a gun, and gave me this note, signed by some guy calling himself 'The Int.'"

"The Int?" he echoed, just to make sure.

"That's what it said on the note." She paused. "It was also written in really cheesy English, like something you'd expect some stuffy English guy or something to write."

_Dammit!_ he screamed mentally. "What did the note say?"

"He wanted my client's account numbers for the money," she replied.

"Did you give them out?"

"Yeah…but I can close them really quickly, too. He had a gun," she reminded him.

"I know. I'm glad you're okay. Listen, I'm gonna report this to the boss guys. You go home, okay?"

"I'm almost there anyway. Thanks, Nick."

"Any time, doll." Nick hung up on his best female friend before rubbing his hands over his face. Victoria made the eighteenth "mugging," if he could call it that, of the week, and it was only Monday…and he'd received reports of similar attacks for the last two. _Something_ screwy was going down. _Damned if I'm gonna let it go on_.

Nick grabbed the case folder he had open on his desk, closed it with a snap, and strode briskly toward the lieutenant's office. He knocked on the door twice before going in anyway.

The lieutenant was simply sitting back in his chair, feet up and crossed on his desk, throwing pencils at the ceiling tiles. He filled his uniform comfortably, almost straining the buttons in places. His dirty-blonde hair was buzzed short.

"Lieutenant Bradshaw," Nick said, coming to attention.

Bradshaw looked over at Nick, demonstrating his awesome pencil-flinging skills by tossing another one and having it completely fail to stick in the ceiling. "What do you want, Danger?" he drawled.

"Another reported mugging," he said, dropping the file on Bradshaw's desk.

The lieutenant took his feet off so he could lean back forward. He took one three-second glance through the folder's contents, grunting once before closing it again and sliding it back. "Too bad," he said, the mockingly apologetic tone in his voice _quite_ evident. "Looks like your little girly didn't have the sense to stay off the side streets."

Nick just kept staring ahead. He wasn't sure why, but Bradshaw hated Nick's guts…and Nick was only too inclined to return the feeling. In the detective's mind, the lieutenant was a sorry excuse of a man, accustomed to having lackeys do the work while he sat on his ass in his comfy office and flung fucking pencils at the fucking ceiling and…

Nick stopped that line of thought before he got really worked up; instead, he said, "Sir, that makes seventy-two cases in the last eleven days."

"Lemme know when it hits, oh, five hundred," Bradshaw sneered. "Then maybe I'll start to care about drinking the water around here, since it's obviously making all those people crazy."

Nick felt his temper slipping. Victoria was one of the saner people he knew; she seemed to have an eerie ability to read and predict Wall Street's movements days in advance, which is why so many people came to her to play with their money. Sure, she had the occasional bust, but that was mostly when the corporations unveiled their previously-crooked actions and their stocks died. She was also usually the voice of reason when the two of them hung around their other work acquaintances at places like bars.

All that was why he trusted her when she said she was held up by an alligator at gunpoint. If Bradshaw wasn't going to do anything about it, well, then maybe it was time Nick Danger, Third Eye, took matters into his own hands.

Back to his desk he went, dropping the folder atop as he pulled open a drawer and rummaged through the papers, business cards, and discarded candy wrappers, looking for one specific post-it note that was so old the sticky on the back was completely worn away. He found it more quickly than he expected, but wasted no time questioning his good fortune; he picked the handset of his phone back up and dialed the number; the antique's rotary spinner helped him stay calm and focused.

When the voice came on the other end, he said, "Therese, it's Nick. Can you patch me through to your boss?"

--

Meanwhile, back at the Go residence, Kim and Shego had just recently returned from their semi-impromptu shopping trip. Kim was carrying three extra bags of goodies purchased quite legitimately from all four of the vendors they'd visited. She'd actually been a bit surprised that Shego offered to pay, but accepted it easily.

The day before, she'd actually washed all her clothing while in the shower, and thus got to endure running away with Shego trying to snatch her towel away, all while waiting for her clothes to dry. The green woman had eventually won, which led to a pretty intense make-out session, followed by sex on the laundry machines. Kim had been mortifyingly embarrassed about it, until Shego assured her no one else was home; then it was the green woman's turn to be shocked when Kim took over so zealously it was like a switch had been flipped.

For now, though, they just brought Kim's stuff in; she actually wanted to change in front of Shego, since she kind of enjoyed it when the other girl complimented her physique. The most annoying noise in the universe, though, shot that idea to pieces.

A familiar happy-minor-third beeping issued from Kim's wrist device on the nightstand next to their table.

"Don't answer it," Shego ordered. Kim frowned, clearly torn between obeying—she really really wanted to obey that command—and answering.

Finally her goody-goody nature won out, and she grabbed the device, flicking it on. "Go, Wade," she said.

Shego gave up on any plans she might have had for the night right then, and instead came around to look over Kim's shoulder at the offending device.

"Hey, Kim," the young super-genius said as he saw the two of them come into view. "We've got a priority message from Doctor Director."

"Priority message?" Shego echoed. "What, she's getting all military on us now?"

"Uh, yeah," Wade answered. Shego just shook her head after a second; she wasn't ready for her wisecracks to be the truth quite yet. "Hang on a second," the hacker added; true to his word, about a second later a smaller window popped into existence in the corner, featuring Ron and his ninja partner, Yori.

"Hi Ron!" Kim chirped.

"Hey Kim!" came the equally peppy reply.

"Hi Yori!" Kim greeted her next.

"Greetings, Possible-san," Yori answered, even going so far as to bow.

"Hey, uh, Shego," Ron called timidly. The former thief simply grunted, settling for a hand wave.

Yori blinked, at a bit of a loss for why Shego was there and not attacking or being attacked, so she didn't say anything else.

Wade finally cut in the round of introductions. "Hey guys, I can't really keep Doctor Director waiting here, so I'm going to patch her in."

"Okay, Wade," Kim soothed him. The boy genius nodded before pressing a button, and the one-eyed visage of their favorite enforcer of law in the world at large took the place of Wade's.

"Greetings, all of you," she said, and Kim could tell by the semi-grave tone in her voice that things weren't exactly copacetic.

"Yo, Dr. D," Shego called.

Betty Director simply rolled her eye. "I apologize for breaking into the time I told you to take, but a new threat has come up. According to a source in the Go City Police, a recent, sizable rash of muggings has been taking place at various locations in the downtown Go City area. The victims, who all have been returned unharmed; the perpetrators have, to a man, been described as bipedal, gun-toting alligators. Or maybe crocodiles. The witnesses all were entirely unsure as to which species their attackers were."

"And we need to get to the bottom of this," Kim said. She hated losing her unofficial 'vacation' time, hated it a lot; but she understood it was necessary.

"Yes," Betty answered. "All that has been stolen so far is bank account information of various sorts. The latest crime was also the highest-profile, targeting one Miss Victoria Jennessy."

All eyes turned to Shego. "What?" she growled. "Look. Just because I live here doesn't mean I know who that is. Just because I'm a thief doesn't mean I ever robbed her, either."

"Just checking," Betty stated. She nodded at the two teams. "I want you all to meet Downtown in an hour. Given that the perpetrators are described as…whichever reptile, there are only a handful of destinations possible. Find where this is going and report back for further instructions. Understood?"

A chorus of "Yes"es and one plasma-fied middle finger answered her, and Betty Director signed off with a sigh.

--

Kim and Shego strode onto the scene, having left Shego's motorcycle safely stashed in a parking garage several blocks away, only to find Ron and Yori waiting for them there.

"So, Ron," Kim began slyly. "Care to share where you're hiding out for now?"

The blonde former sidekick looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Making a great show of looking at the Kimmunicator strapped to her wrist, Kim said, "You two got here _awfully_ early, given that Shego and I are six minutes early ourselves."

"Wade-san procured a ride for us as soon as the communication from Doctor Director ended," Yori explained. "It arrived shortly after and was very fast."

"Uh _huh_," Kim said. "And you just happened to be in a convenient location for such a fast ride?"

"Yeah," Ron said enthusiastically. "That place is bon-_diggity_. Central location, great view, and a Bueno Nacho kiosk in the food court!" He sighed, almost dreamily, and Kim couldn't help but chuckle. Even Shego cracked a bit of a smile; as irritating to her as Ron could be, sometimes his enthusiasm was contagious.

Besides, she knew now where they were staying. _Time to take over the spotlight…_

"Oh, really?" she asked. Kim looked over at her, but Shego tossed her girlfriend a wink and the hero shrugged. "Must've been right on the water, for such a great view."

"Pretty close," Ron agreed. "It's just right over—oh damn," he finished in a small voice while Yori shook her head.

"It's just right over there, a mile away, at the Go-Away Escapist Resort," Shego finished for him, a healthy smirk in place. "Which explains the twelve-speed tandem bicycle," she continued, indicating the vehicle leaning against a building across the street. "Some fancy 'ride,' that is," she finished.

Ron laughed weakly. "Um, it's provided free of charge?"

Kim shook her head, smiling. _Leave it to Ron to give it up. Of course, I_ did _ask Wade where they were coming from, but watching him blow it was more amusing_.

"Ron-sama," Yori chided gently, "you know we weren't supposed to give that away."

"Old habit," Shego explained, still smirking. "It's too easy to get him to spill."

"Only for you," Ron retorted, gesturing between the three women with him. "I never told anybody else nothin'."

"So why weren't you supposed to give it away?" Kim asked curiously.

Yori put a hand on Ron's shoulder as the blond boy was about to answer, causing him to stop trying to speak. Instead, she answered, "Director-sensei flew us in to cover for the two of you. She knew the quiet would not stay quiet for long, and yet insisted on allowing you your rest."

"Uh _huh_," Kim agreed—her tone suggested she didn't believe it, but she let it slide. "Anyway, enough chit-chat. We've got a sitch to fix."

Shego rolled her eyes. "And the bossiness rears its commanding head."

"Shego?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up before I gag you with your own hair."

Ron and Yori hid smiles behind their hands at Shego's shocked expression. Kim hadn't even turned to look at her before issuing the zinger. Instead, she appeared in thought, chin in her left hand, her right tapping on the Kimmunicator's casing.

The slightly taller woman recovered from her shock quickly, but Kim was already thinking out loud, a habit which slightly creeped Shego out…especially because Kim thought _very quickly_ out loud. The words tended to string themselves together. And yet, the conclusions she sometimes managed to reach were impeccable.

"Sewers," Kim said finally, decisively.

"Sewers?" the other two ladies echoed.

"Sewers," Ron agreed. Experience taught him that once Kim got into mission mode, she was not only right far more often than not, she also tended to get…cranky if he didn't agree. So, to save everyone else that, he began herding them along, following the hero as she set off to find the nearest manhole cover.

--

Find the entrance was easy. Getting down was similarly easy. Figuring out where to go next…that was the hard part. So, with Shego lighting the way with a hand and Ron and Yori using powerful little glowstick-style lanters that lent a yellowish tint to the surrounding stonework…and to the small river of sewage flowing next to their path, Kim led the way, using the map provided by Wade over her Kimmunicator to keep them from taking too many wrong turns. She'd had him work out the best place for a lair down here, and that's where they were headed.

It was nice and quiet, save for the near-constant sounds of small waterfalls as pipes from the surface poked through and dumped their contents into the sewage line.

Then Ron couldn't take it anymore. "This mission _stinks_!" he whined, though he was walking along the "water" side to make sure Yori wouldn't end up in it.

Kim looked at Shego, who returned the look; as one they turned around and looked behind them, bringing their doubly-green and doubly-withering glare to rest on their followers.

Ron and Yori stared back, though it was mostly Ron. "What?" he asked. When they still didn't speak, he held his hands up. "Stop with the making of the creepy!"

The front pair of fighters, again at the same time, brought a gloved finger to their lips. Finally they broke their copycat routine when Shego turned back to stare in front of them, willing her eyes to pierce the darkness in front of them. Memories of her nightmare from that morning rose unbidden, but she shoved them away as best she could. _Can't think of that right now._

Kim whispered. "Did you hear that?"

Yori blinked. She hadn't heard anything at all, not even themselves, as they progressed. Part of her was privately impressed that all four of them could be that stealthy. "I have heard nothing, Possible-san."

"Exactly." Kim frowned. "It's too quiet, and I don't like it."

"Perhaps you should trust her judgement?" a cultured voice asked out of the darkness. All four of them jumped, the extra voice seeming to come from everywhere thanks to the sewer's acoustical nature.

The glow of their small lanterns did little to illuminate the sewer system they were trudging through, shining just far enough to allow them to see their immediate vicinity. Beyond that was utter darkness...until a sense of movement, of blacker black shifting against plain black--drew their attention.

A large shape walked--_no,_ Shego decided, _that's not a walk, that's a trundle_--to the very edge of their lighted area. The yellowish glare of the portable lanterns revealed the figure to be slightly taller than Kim, yet still shorter than Shego; it was dressed in what appeared to be a lab coat, with an Oxford-style shirt underneath and, apparently, ripped slacks that ended at the knee. The thing was almost as wide as it was tall, especially at its shoulders. What really caught their eyes, though, was the dull gleam that came from all areas not covered by clothing. It looked as if the light were reflected by something smooth, like...scales.

"Surprised?" it asked. The voice was almost timid, though the creature was large enough to be anything but.

"No," said Shego. "Relieved." Her hands flared to life.

"Could you put those away, please?" it requested.

Kim snorted in Shego's stead. "And why should she? Ambushes are _so_ unpopular."

"Perhaps these will convince you?"

The figure waved one of its arms, and the sounds of several things breaking the surface of water reached their ears a second before scores of shapes crawled to the edge of their lighted space.

"Minions?" Ron asked. "Henchmen?"

"Do you really think I would refer to my brethren as mere minions?" the figure asked.

"Are we done asking questions?" Shego asked. She hadn't put her hands out yet, obviously still waiting for a fight. Maybe even itching for one.

"Have you never heard of the Interro-gater?" For whatever reason, the creature sounded like it pained him to speak the name.

"The who?"

"That was a band, Ron," Kim said, and Shego snorted. _Kimmie's on a roll today. I wonder why…_

"My notoriety may be small, but surely when word spreads, my reputation alone will give even the greatest pause…don't you think?"

"That questions crap is getting really annoying…" Shego growled. She was itching to go, to knock some heads around and come out on top, but there were a _lot_ of his "brethren" hanging around…and she doubted that they were going to be the kind of pushovers the thugs from a couple of days ago had been. Their animal natures saw to that.

She looked over at Kim, whose wrist-mounted toy was indicating they were actually fairly close to their destination. The redhead looked just as ready to fight, but then visibly calmed herself. "What do you want?"

"I can only assume, from your appearance, you came to try and stop me?" All he got from any of them was a nod from Kim, but he continued. "Walk with me, and perhaps you shall find that you wish you had never crossed paths with the Interro-gator, yes?"

--

A/N: This took FOREVER. I know. Way too much time between updates…but it's not dead! See? And it's kind of a cliffhanger. Well, it's more of the old Adam West Batman, pre-commercial break problem…which means next chapter will open with all four of them tied up, in a death trap of sorts, with no means of escape…which guarantees that they'll get out somehow. After all, Batman always did!

Anyway, I'm a bit swarmed at work right now; lots and lots of manual labor which is eating into my precious writing time! With only 5 weeks in the school year left, though, it ought to be over soon enough. And that does _not_ mean I'll be waiting that long to do another chapter. So there.

Oh, and 'cause I should, even though I doubt any of youse readers need it:

-san: usual Japanese honorific, meaning "Mr.," "Mrs.," "Miss," "Ms.," etc.

-sama: conveys more respect upon the person; lowers the speaker and elevates the receiver in social standing.

-sensei: a respectful term for someone in a learned capacity. Could mean teacher, doctor, master, boss/supervisor, etc.


	17. Chapter 17: Down Under

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 17

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: The usual stuff. I don't own any of these characters, with the exception of the Interro-gater. Even the private eye, his girlfriend, and the lieutenant from last chapter are from something (one reviewer already nailed it), and that something is Firesign Theatre, which is _hilarious_.

Pre-note: Yes, it's been a while again. I'm sorry, but at least I'm updating! Personally, I blame a bunch of things: my own slowness, being stuck on my other story, work work work (10 hours a day starting at 6am), and too much time spent doing things other than writing.

--

Detective Nick Danger, Third Eye, ran one hand back through his dark brown hair, made even more unruly than usual by the slight wind that had picked up during his investigation outside. His frustration was evident to those around him; no one dared approach him, save his current flame, Victoria Jennessy, as she was the only one who could weather his fury.

"Nicky," she said softly, pulling on his arm, "look, I'm okay, and I already took care of those accounts. Just calm down, okay?"

"I can't, Vicky," he returned. Normally it very nearly disgusted him when she called him 'Nicky,' especially with _her_ nickname being what it was, but right now he had other things to worry about. "This guy's throwing his ability to do that to you in my face."

"I'm sure it's not personal," Victoria soothed. "It would be the same with anybody."

"No, it wouldn't," Nick returned. "Bradshaw's typical; he doesn't care, and no one else would, either."

"So you think this guy's targeting you because you want him stopped? Nick, that doesn't make any sense."

"I know, Vicky, but it's how I feel right now…"

Victoria sighed, but she stepped aside and let Nick do his job. The most recent altercation—Victoria's—had very little evidence at the scene, and eyewitnesses were few and far between, mostly because they flatly refused to believe that what they'd seen was actually reality and not some fancy attempt at animatronics.

Nick turned to one of the uniformed officers standing near him. "Stones, I want cameras on every manhole you and your men can think of." The officer nodded, jotting the note down on a pad of paper, and Nick went on. "We don't have to catch them…I just want to know where they're coming from."

--

Silence was the rule among the prisoners as Kim Possible, Shego, Ron Stoppable, and Yori were frog-marched by the giant lizard-men through the sewers. The Interro-gater walked behind them all, comfortably separated from the heroes by a ring of upright-walking saurians that Kim _still_ wasn't sure what they were. That they were in the sewers, which, while dirty, were essentially fresh water, suggested alligators...but since DNAmy was behind all this, they could have been anything, for all she knew.

As soon as they had been captured, the gators closest to them all had slapped handcuffs on the lot of them, and it was by those cuffs that they were being led. Kim was fidgeting as they walked, continually pulling the manacles up and down, trying to squeeze her hands through them and get free. She was trying to remain as subtle as she could, but the chains connecting the manacles were making more noise than anyone else's, and one of the escorting mutants gave her a wall-eyed stare. She dropped her hands back in front of her.

Shego, watching Kim's efforts through the corner of her eye, sniffed softly. Kim caught the noise, looking her way, and Shego gave her a small smile before gently shaking her head.

Kim was somewhat confused. _Does she not want to try and escape?_ Without having agreed on a plan, though, she dared not try anything. She had done that a time or three before, with Ron; only her villains' usual incompetence had kept those improvised operations from blowing up in her face and turning into something awful. Still, she wracked her brain, trying to figure out what Shego was trying to communicate.

The answer—or at least, the answer she had a few seconds later—was obvious. _This way, we'll know where their hideout is._

After what seemed like hours of walking, none of it broken by conversation of any sort, Kim began to notice the sewer tunnel they were in was gradually brightening. The temperature was strangely constant; Kim actually had expected it either to be very warm, or very cool. It remained, however, at a very pleasant room temperature. Occasional puffs of air from overhead suggested ventilation, but if there was anything, the darkness precluded them from seeing any ducts. Every few steps they took, whatever light source lay ahead of them grew steadily, and Kim could actually begin to make out details of their captors.

They were indeed upright, walking, gun-toting—_alligators_, Kim decided finally, if only to have something to call them. For all the strangeness of their erect posture, Kim was accustomed to anthropomorphic animals thanks to years of exposure to Ron's partner-in-crime Rufus.

Thinking the name sent a pang of nostalgia through Kim; she dearly wished they had Ron's pet naked mole rat right now. The little guy had helped them immeasurably in times past. Then again…her lips quirked almost involuntarily. _Shego's right here. And so is Yori. Somehow, I don't think we'll be missing Rufus quite so much…_

Of their captors' leader, the so-called "Interro-gator," Kim could still barely see anything. He was covered almost head-to-toe in a white coat, presumably of the doctoral style Kim's own mother usually wore. His head, or what of it she could see, was bald, shiny; it reflected light oddly, and Kim figured the scaly skin they'd seen earlier covered his entire body. In the light from ahead, she could see his skin was barely different in color from normal human skin; it was brownish, like he'd gotten a deep tan, but it also featured a slight green hue, almost like a concession to the same reptilian genes that made his skin scaly.

The observation, while fascinating—it proved he wasn't natural—did little to help their current situation. Neither, of course, did counting the number of armed alligators surrounding the four of them. So Kim held her peace for a few more minutes, until they entered a grand junction in the sewer tunnels…and the Interro-gator's lair.

There was no mistaking this kind of base of operations; a handful of figures that looked like copies of him were seated at several massive computer banks, looking like something out of the golden age of comics. The computers themselves were ten feel tall and about twice that from end to end, covered by all manner of lights, switches, dials, readouts, and printing orifices; where the figures sat, large monitors displayed information Kim couldn't make out at this distance. Elsewhere, dozens…no, _scores_ more of the alligators surrounding them did the manual labor required to maintain a base of operations this size.

Curiously, Kim noted that everything around them seemed to move slowly. It wasn't like time had decided to take a vacation; it was more like the lair's occupants were unconcerned with hurrying, and decided to take their sweet time to go about whatever task they were required to do. They weren't lazy about it, but neither were they efficient. Things got done, just slowly.

Her observations were derailed when the Interro-gator spoke again. "Impressive, isn't it?" he asked, turning to face them again. The overhead lights, the reasons behind the tunnel's brightening earlier, stripped away the shadows that had clung to his features earlier, and Kim gasped in spite of her efforts to control it.

His face was…inhuman. It was almost like it had tried to grow outward in imitation of an alligator's snout, but had abandoned the attempt after only a few inches. The green in his skin was more pronounced around his lips, and his teeth were decidedly sharper than a normal human's. His lab coat hung open on his frame, and Kim could see the scales did indeed cover his whole body; his chest was bare under it, and while he wasn't spindly, it didn't look as well-muscled as it could have been. _Then again,_ Kim mused, _he's got minions; why would he need to do any heavy lifting?_

She didn't even bother thinking how all this might have begun; villains just had a knack for percolating under the public's collective nose until they were ready to strike. Most likely, she figured, he'd begun with only a few of his "brethren," as he'd called them, and had uncovered the secret for creating more.

"This _is_ a nice setup," Shego spoke up suddenly from Kim's left, "but seriously. What's in it for you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What. Is. In. It. For. You." Shego repeated, enunciating each word as if she were talking to a four-year-old kid with no English skills. Kim had to try really hard not to giggle, while the Interro-gator looked like he was starting to fume.

"Why would you assume this is for my gain?"

"Because," Shego responded, sounding _awfully_ bored, "I've seen the whole noble-villain thing. You're not doing this for _them_. You're doing this for you. Unless, of course, you're reporting to someone else. Villains are always self-motivated. Besides, you're _taking people's money_. That doesn't exactly scream altruistic to me."

"Why would you think I am in this for my own benefit? Do you not see that my brethren have need of me as their leader?"

"No," Shego said shortly, not missing a beat. The reply seemed to shut the villain up—_Finally,_ Kim thought with some relief—and he glared at the verdant woman for a second before marching off to do who-knew-what.

A burst of giggling sounded from behind them, and Kim turned to see Yori completely unable to keep a straight face. Even Ron's mouth was quirked in a grin. "I do believe you have him tongue-tied, Shego-san," Yori said as she gained control of herself.

"Head case," she responded blandly. "Hates it if he can't get the last word. Drakken was that way, too."

"Funny how you can read the bad guys easy," Ron quipped.

Shego quirked an eyebrow at him. "Wouldn't you be able to tell, if another Good Guy showed up, how they would behave?"

"Oh…yeah…heheh, hadn't thought of that one…"

"Obviously," Shego mumbled under her breath. Kim nudged her with a shoulder.

"So why'd you want me to stop earlier?" she asked, then blushed while everyone else stared at her. "Not like that!" she complained. "I meant with the handcuffs."

The staring, if anything, intensified, and Kim blushed deeper.

"Ya know, Princess," Shego finally cut in, "I'd stop if I were you. That hole you're in doesn't get much deeper."

"Gee, thanks," Kim muttered. "So why did I have to stop trying to _break free_?"

"So we could find here," Shego answered simply.

"And now?" Ron put in. He was looking expectantly at her.

"Now?" Shego shrugged. "I do this." So saying, she ignited her hands, the emerald-colored energy flowing up and around the handcuffs. The metal of the cuffs themselves didn't seem to care very much…but about fifteen seconds after she lit her hands, she stepped away from everyone. Before they could ask why, she brought her hands together, then violently flung them apart; the weakened chain holding the cuffs together snapped like so much string. The cuffs remained on her wrists…but without anything holding them to each other, she was as free as she was going to get right now.

The sound of the metal giving way attracted the attention of a handful of the gator-minions, and they shuffled forward, but Shego was ready. She brought a knife-hand down on the chain connection Yori's wrists, and the ninja suddenly…wasn't there anymore. A small puff of smoke signaled her use of a smoke bomb.

A sharp, metallic _clang_ announced Yori's presence elsewhere, and Kim turned to see her using her metallic fans to clock the gators on their heads, arms, torsos…anywhere she could get a solid hit. The reptiles were tougher than they appeared; they would take several hits before going down, as opposed to just one or two. The first half-dozen fell before Shego had freed Kim, though once the hero was loose, she leapt right into the fray.

Hitting the gators felt, to Kim, like trying to punch a tree wrapped in leather. These things were _solid_, and very resilient; they also made very little noise, save an occasional rumbling growl when one received a particularly painful hit. The lack of noise was probably the creepiest aspect of the whole fight to all its human participants.

Ron, once loose, spent a moment concentrating and attempting to harness his Mystical Monkey Power; when the moment passed, a by-now-familiar blue aura surrounded him, and the fight turned even more savage as Monkey met Alligator. Ron's hoots and howls were starting to get frighteningly loud, but the foursome kept at it, even as more and more of the boss' brethren ambled toward the fray.

Shego lit her hands in combat again, but a shrieking sound pierced all their ears. They turned to see the Interro-gator staring at them in horror; they looked around quickly, but saw nothing out of the ordinary for a fight.

Then Shego's first plasma blast hit home against one of the gators.

The improved animal seemed to just _take_ the hit, as if it were absorbing the energy and emerging completely unfazed…but then it hesitated. Its jaws opened and snapped shut several times before the thing finally toppled forward. It hit the ground with a satisfying thud…but arose a few seconds later.

This time, though, it stayed on all fours…and it slid off of the solid platforms and into the water with hardly a splash.

Kim blinked. _What's going on?_

"Do you realize what you have done, you fool?!" the Interro-gator screamed from across the lair. His voice echoed for a few seconds, the flat surfaces of the place granting it added volume and presence and actually making him sound intimidating…something that none of Kim's usual villains had ever done before.

"Don't know, don't care," the hero said. "Your evil stops here and now!" She dug into the pocket of her mission pants and pulled out her trusty laser lipstick…and flashed a beam into one of the large computer banks nearby, cutting a hole slightly smaller than her fist.

The beam cut into the metal angrily, little rivulets of melted alloy running down from the clean cut line; when she was done the circle fell inside with a clang. Nothing else appeared to happen, so Kim went through her pocket again, this time producing a small vial filled with something colored dark red; the vial was of the kind usually reserved for single-color makeup pots. She couldn't recall putting one of her own in there…which meant it had to have been another Wade thing. She twisted the cap off and was rewarded with the substance inside quickly turning from red to yellow, so she tossed it inside and ran to rejoin the others, who had meanwhile moved off to engage the rest of the crowding alligators.

Kim had hardly made it four steps when a terrific _bang!_ erupted behind her, the sound echoing just as grandly as the villain's voice had not thirty seconds ago. She risked a glance behind her, and was rewarded with seeing smoke billowing from the machine she had just…what? Fried? Exploded?

The readouts on the face of the device were blank, the gauges going haywire, and the hole she had cut into it was flickering with the colors of fire. Within seconds the small blaze had spread, the small electrical fire quickly growing and consuming the computers with frenzy.

Kim turned back to the fray; in two more steps she jumped, flipped, and planted both feet in a gator that was about to slash Ron from his side. She rode the creature down as it fell, and when it hit the ground fully she stepped off, the sudden change in altitude meaning she ducked right under a lateral swing aimed at trimming her hair at roughly the level of her earlobes. "Claws!" she yelped.

"We know," Ron grated, "and thanks, KP." He was doing quite alright for himself, a far cry from his earlier days; the few times Kim could spare a half-second to watch him, she noted he was good, but still not quite at her or Shego's level. Of course, she noted wryly, he also didn't have someone constantly trying to take him down; thus, not as much of a pressing need to upgrade his skills. Still, he was holding his own, and she returned her focus to the other gators.

Heat at her back made her flinch to the side; the disruption in her usual routine threw the gator she faced off, and once Kim regained her balance—a split second before the alligator could strike again—she dove in for a strike under its front leg that temporarily stunned it. She risked a look behind again, and noted the fire was still growing.

"Uh, guys?" she panted in between salvos of punches, kicks, and dodges, "now's about the time we get out of here before it comes down on our heads…"

Nobody responded right away. The heat continued to increase. Sweat poured down Kim's forehead as she continued to exert herself mightily in the rising temperatures. A louder, duller boom than before, as well as a sudden lack of background noise, heralded the demise of whatever system kept the air temperature regulated. The temperature _continued_ to climb.

Things were getting very uncomfortable for three of the four heroes—Shego could feel the air getting warmer, but it was still a far cry from her own internal inferno—and the oppressive temperatures made it difficult to keep moving at speed; Kim could feel herself slowing down with every punch she threw.

Ron felt his Monkey Mojo beginning to wane; on his own he was skilled enough to not worry _too_ badly. The heat was penetrating his aura of Ron-awesomeness.

Yori's fan blades were beginning to feel _very_ heavy. She swept them closed and settled for normal hand-to-hand strikes, aiming for what looked like they could be pressure points. The scaled hide of the gators made judging the hits hard to tell, though.

Shego was conserving her plasma; there were so many targets that she would easily knock herself out. _Just like the one day with the rats…and there's too many to risk having Kimmie carry me out of here._ Her normal attacks were satisfyingly powerful, though; every third punch or kick put an enemy down.

As one, the four ex-prisoners turned at some unheard signal; a fire roared dangerously close behind them. Kim wasn't sure what was sustaining it, as there wasn't a lot on the ground to act as fuel, but that wasn't as important as the fact that it was, in fact, still burning…and very close.

Suddenly the gators began to drop…just like when Shego shot one with her plasma earlier. They fell, in singles and pairs, to all fours, crawling into the sewer water with nary a sound.

Shego looked over at the other three. "Time to blow this popsicle stand!" she yelled over the roaring flames. Suiting action to words she began to run and jump across and over anything between her and the dark, inviting opening of one of the myriad of sewer tunnels.

Yori followed. So did Ron. Kim spent a precious extra second seeking the scaly form of their captor, but the Interro-gator had already apparently fled the scene, so she took off after the other three.

The fire continued to grow, and more and more of the intelligent alligators reverted to their animalistic states and fled into the water. Soon enough all the equipment in the lair was enveloped in the flames…but with the water blocking its available exits, and no more extra fuel, it did not advance any further.

--

A few hundred yards down the tunnel, the quartet of heroes paused to catch their breaths.

"That…was too…close," Ron panted as he fairly well crumpled to the ground, his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning back on his arms.

"You and your American-style understatement," Yori chided him with a smile. She had her fans tucked into her belt, so she couldn't join him on the floor, but she did stand next to him and put a hand on his head; Ron responded to the gesture by looking up at her and grinning.

Kim shook her head; she was bent over, one hand against the wall. "I don't know how you do it, Yori," she complained; her voice was breathy, but not broken like Ron's was. "You look like you could run another ten miles!"

The ninja simply returned her look innocently.

Shego snorted from her place at the front of the group. "Stop whining, Princess," she put in. "You know you could, too. Hell, so could Stoppable there."

"Oh, sure," Ron said, rolling his eyes at his best friend's girlfriend. "Take all the fun out of my little act."

"Gladly," Shego said smugly, to which Ron merely stuck his tongue out. Yori watched the exchange, amused but not a little wind-blown. Ron had explained the situation with Shego as best he could, but she still found it a bit odd that the enemy of her friend had so thoroughly transformed into more than an ally. Then again, she understood such things could happen from time to time…and given what just happened, she was more than glad for the assistance.

Kim righted herself just in time to swat Shego's arm lightly. "Leave him be," she protested. After another second of quiet, she asked, "So. Anyone have guesses on what just happened?"

"Ooh, I know!" Shego raised a hand. "You blew up another lair," she added flatly.

"Very good, Miss Go," Kim said dryly. "I meant, why'd the alligators just give up?"

Shego shrugged. "I try not to question our good fortune."

"Perhaps it was the heat," Yori suggested. "They _are_ reptiles. As such, they are cold-blooded. The heat undoubtedly was beyond their safe living range, so they fled."

"It was outside _our_ safe living range," Kim reminded her, just as dryly as her last reply to Shego.

"I know," Yori said. To her credit, she didn't even sound like her patience was strained. "Perhaps it did something to whatever made them more than their usual animal selves."

Kim almost protested again…then she remembered the events of only a few days ago. Yori had a point.

"Can we save the guessing games for when we get _out_ of the stink?" Shego complained.

Everyone else agreed, so they set off to find the nearest way out of the underground maze that was Go City's sewage system.

--

Nick Danger, Third Eye, was leaning against his car, nodding as he spoke to Victoria over his cell phone. It was the most boring day of stakeouts he'd ever been on; who _would_ enjoy staring at manhole covers for hours on end, after all? Victoria was talking to him about something, but he wasn't really paying much attention; his thoughts were on the prospect of dinner.

He was about to say something, but then the manhole cover five feet in front of him bumped and clanged; he blinked, told Victoria he'd call her back, and pulled his gun out as he took a position partially covered by the rear end of his car.

The cover bumped again and rose a few inches before sliding off to the side. Nick caught a flash of black-clad arms retreating down the hole before a head that was _obviously_ not reptilian popped out. It was covered in shiny black hair, and Nick frowned to himself as he watched the body attached to it exit the sewer. _Can't be…_ he thought, but the flashes of green he caught on arms and legs told him it very well could be.

The figure crouched next to the sewer when she exited—oh yes, it was very definitely female, he noted, as he could see it in profile—and extended a hand back down; seconds later she pulled the arm back out, and clinging to it was the arm of another person, this one sporting a mane of bright orange-red hair.

Nick watched in puzzlement as a total of four people exited; the other two were a blond male and an Asian female. By this time the first two were on their feet and staring at the open sky. Nick put his gun away and stepped out from behind his car. "Shego? Is that you?"

The black-haired figure turned around. "Nick?" she asked, almost disbelieving. "Oh my God, it _is_ you!"

The detective shook his head. "What the hell were you doing _now_?"

Shego flashed him a bit of a grin, even as her companions looked confused. "Getting into—and out of—trouble. As usual."

"As usual," Nick repeated, shaking his head. "Talk about the things you least expect to see."

The redhead tugged on Shego's sleeve. "You two know each other?"

Shego turned back to her. "Oh, right. Kimmie, this is Nick Danger. Nick, this is Kim Possible. And friends." She gestured to the other two. "Nick and I go way back."

Nick was a tad confused still. "Kim Possible? _The_ Kim Possible?"

Kim blushed. "Yeah, that's me."

"The world is a strange and wonderful place," Nick mused. "Alright. Get outta here, you all. I'm not even gonna ask why you were down there, but I got a watch to keep."

They did as told, but Shego turned. "You wouldn't happen to be watching for some gators, would you?"

"How did—Never mind," Nick decided. "Not even gonna ask."

"Don't worry 'bout 'em," Shego said easily. "We blew up their base."

"They had a base."

Shego nodded, grinning.

"In the sewers."

Another nod.

"And you blew it up?"

This time Kim nodded, somewhat sheepishly. "We barely got out, the fire was so big."

"Fire?" Nick echoed weakly. "That's it, I'm goin' home."

"Good plan," Shego approved. "And look, if you want the real deal, call your plant in GJ. Have 'em transfer you to the director, and make sure to drop my name or Kimmie's. She'll tell you all about it."

"Right," Nick said, climbing into his car. "Bye, Shego."

"Bye. And say hi to Nancy for me, would you? It's been a while since I've seen her."

Nick shook his head. "She doesn't like that name anymore, but I'll pass the word."

"She doesn't? Why not?"

"Got too annoyed with everyone calling her that." Nick shrugged, starting his car and driving away.

Shego waved him away until Kim pulled on her arm again. "What was that all about?" the ex-cheerleader asked.

"Nick and I go way back," Shego explained. "He was on the force when I still was with Hego and all that bullshit." She shrugged. "He seemed to be the only one who wasn't enamored with Hego's self-righteous talk, which meant he was the only one I could tolerate. We were kinda friendly, in terms of the workplace definition of friends."

"Oh. Okay." Kim shrugged. "Mind if we go home? I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I've got homework…"

"Your wish is my command, Princess." Shego sketched out a theatrically-overdone bow.

Kim giggled while Ron and Yori watched, still amused. "Fine. Bye, you two. See you around." She waved to her friends while following Shego through the streets of Go City, looking for where they had stashed the ex-thief's bike.

Ron shook his head as they left. "An unexpected match," he said, sounding uncharacteristically wise and serious, "but it works. Boy, does it work."

Yori nodded. "You are correct, Ron-chan. I am glad that they are no longer at odds."

"You an' me both, ninja babe," the bond concurred, sounding more like his normal self. "You an' me both."

--

A/N: Yeah, I try not to let characters die—good or evil—so the Interro-gator here will make a return.

Kudos to fuzzibare for making the Nick Danger connection.

And I will admit to _some_ influence for character design coming from Spider-Man, but (at the risk of giving away a secret) the villain's name and mannerisms came first, before his looks. Me and my penchant for bad puns are to blame for coming up with the Interro-gator as a guy who can only speak in questions.

Some things will be explained next chapter, such as how he dunnit with his gator mini-onions.

Otherwise I hope now to be back on my usual 2-week track. See you sooner rather than later!


	18. Chapter 18: Dementor, Schmementor

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 18

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Kim and company are owned by Disney. Kane and Isabel, whether they appear or not, are StarvingLunatic's characters.

--

It only took half of Kim Possible's mind to pay attention during class, a fact which she attributed to having a brain surgeon and a rocket scientist for parents. The other half of her mind spent the hours mentally doodling and wishing for the time to be over. In fact, were it not for her desire to still perform well in school, she probably would have dozed her classes away.

_Well,_ she reminded herself with a wry mental grin, _there's also the fact that every time I close my eyes I hear Mr. Barkin…_

In due time, though, her last class finished, and she headed home. She was only moderately amazed to not find Shego there; the pale woman had been gone fairly often in the last week and a half, but had given in to Kim's requests for information after only the second time the redhead had pulled out her puppy-dog pout.

According to the ex-thief, Shego was tying up some loose ends for Doctor D. Kim had at first been slightly mystified. After all, wasn't Drakken supposed to be in custody still, since Shego was usually the one who broke him out anyway? Then she had remembered one of their brief conversations with Betty Director, _Juris Doctor_, and how Shego had referred to the one-eyed intelligence chief the same way. Kim was still unclear as to what exactly was going on, but she figured as long as it didn't involve Shego going to jail and thus not being able to come back to her, she was okay with not knowing.

She had been able to tell Shego was profoundly grateful at not having to spill, which only piqued Kim's curiosity…but she was reasonably confident that she would find out in time. Until then, Kim put up with her lover being her usual mysterious self and took care of her own life.

It had been a couple of weeks since busting up the Interro-gator's underground…whatever it had been, and those weeks were very, very quiet. Almost mundane, in fact. Kim was thankful for the break—already the semester was nearly a quarter over—as it allowed her to focus on some of her more…simplistic classes. The professors had decided to outline their entire schedule in the course syllabus, so Kim had all the chapters to read and homework to do in advance. She spent some of her non-Shego, non-class time trying to get ahead, just in case something came up that actually caused her to miss days.

Kim sighed as she deposited her bookbag on the floor next to a wall in her dorm. She shivered slightly as she crossed the place; the weather was beginning to turn chill, and with Shego leaving via her preferred window route most of the time, the cool air easily invaded the dorm room. Sliding that window shut, she flopped down into the main room's single easy chair. The chair was one of her favorite spots…and judging from the smells the chair had picked up, it was Shego's, too. The scent of her favorite person combined with the sheer comfort factor of the squishy chair lulled Kim into a light doze.

She awoke some hours later to the smell of something cooking, and her stomach brought her into full wakefulness by rumbling gently. She grinned a bit before levering herself off the chair and sneaking over to the small kitchenette's doorway.

She didn't enter for two reasons. The first was that there simply wasn't the room; Shego was flying back and forth between the stove and the table, and when Kim caught glimpses of her face, it was set in total concentration.

The second reason was that Shego was all dressed up under the pink apron she wore. The pantsuit, for that was what she was clad in, was black, though Kim could see the occasional white vertical pinstripes that decorated it, and Kim was sure that the blouse under the suit's jacket was either emerald green, just as her eyes, or white. The apron made it hard to tell, though, and a sudden, jaw-cracking yawn made it hard for her to focus on anything.

"Whatcha doin'?" she slurred sleepily when the yawn was done.

"Trying something new," Shego answered shortly, as if Kim had been in the kitchenette the entire time.

Kim didn't bother her any further, instead opting to lean on the waist-high half-wall that separated the kitchenette from the rest of her dorm. Shego worked with amazing efficiency, especially in such a small space; she appeared to waste no movement. It was like she had rehearsed this several times before, so she knew where everything was already, had all the actions timed down to the very second, and spared no hesitation to figure out what to do next.

In short order dishes appeared on the table, and only about ten minutes after Kim woke up, Shego dusted off her hands, pulled off the apron, and swept a mock bow to her Kimmie. "After you, Princess," she said, and while there was humor in her voice, there was no trace of the usual mocking in the nickname.

Kim smiled as she seated herself, allowing Shego to slide her chair in for her. She remembered enough of her table manners—hammered in during the year or so when her parents had been marginally less busy at their jobs due to the Tweebs being born—to know not to touch anything before everyone was ready, so she kept her hands folded in her lap until Shego sat.

Shego, for her part, held in her compliment at Kim's behavior. _Of course she'd know what to do,_ she thought wryly. _Miss Priss probably wouldn't be out of place at a big royal dinner_. She called forth her powers, focusing first on one hand, making sure the other hand went out, before concentrating enough to narrow the usual brilliant green flame down to one finger. She touched the wick on the candle she had grabbed from elsewhere in Kim's dorm and brought it over to the table, finding the one place amidst the dinner that she'd saved specifically for its presence.

Kim was fully impressed. Not only had Shego gone all-out on dinner preparations, but it was candlelit, she was dressed all fancy—making Kim feel somewhat _under_dressed, in fact—and, unless Kim missed her guess, the pale woman had an expression that would have made a canary-fed cat jealous. She finally sat down, and Kim took the napkin folded prettily on her plate and placed it on her lap. Raising an eyebrow at Shego, Kim received a nod in return, so she reached for what looked like the main course—some kind of sliced steak—and helped herself.

A few minutes later—during which it became evident that Shego's appetite could far outpace Kim's, given the relative amounts on each plate—the two were enjoying a quiet, if fancy, dinner. Kim was too far gone into culinary heaven to make any conversation, while Shego was enjoying the silence almost as much as what she'd prepared. It had turned out very well, in spite of her telling Kim she was trying something new.

Finally Kim sat back from her plate. She wasn't done by any stretch, but they were in no hurry, and she wanted to hear her loved one's voice. "So," she began, spearing a piece of her meat with a fork and using it to gather up the last of the juices on her plate, "what brought this on?"

Shego swallowed. "Can't a girl just have a quiet dinner with her girlfriend once in a while?"

Kim's heart swelled; it wasn't often she got to hear Shego refer to them as a couple, even now. "I suppose," she said after a moment, "that that could be true for a _normal_ couple…but then that wouldn't be us, now, would it?"

"Touché." Shego saluted Kim with her fork. "Well, since you _had_ to ask…yours truly is now official."

"Official?" Kim repeated, cocking her head to one side.

"Official," Shego affirmed, nodding. "As of about two this afternoon, Doctor D gave up and told me I was out from under her thumb. She still wants me under your 'supervision'…but she doesn't have anything to hold over my head anymore."

Kim was positively beaming by this point. She put down her fork, reached across her table, and grasped Shego's wrist, giving it a squeeze. "I'm happy for you," she said simply.

Shego returned the smile. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I am, too." Then, some of her good humor returning, she continued, "The best part was—the _best_ part—was when I got to watch her get on the phone and call all the big-shots. CIA, FBI, Interpol, even the Blue-Hats over at the UN! And _boy,_ were they pissed." She laughed easily, the sound like music to Kim's ears. "I know I was in the video feed, too, 'cause I did the cheesy smile-and-wave thing"—she paused to do just that for Kim—"and they all turned practically purple. I couldn't help it; as soon as the old battleaxe hung up I about fell over laughing."

"She could do that?" Kim knew Global Justice had, as its name implied, far-reaching effects, but this…?

"Apparently." Shego shrugged. "I'm not sure how or why, but if they have enough pull to get people off my back, I'll take it at that."

"Sounds like a good idea," Kim mused, thinking back on the couple of times she'd visited Dr. Director's Middleton-area offices. The place was impressively high-tech, even for all Kim's exposure to the mad science her enemies—and, once in a while, her own father—cooked up, and she had little doubt that GJ's effectiveness was unparalleled in the law enforcement community.

Aside from Kim herself, of course. She grinned a bit on the inside.

What she didn't expect was for Dr. Director to keep her promise—or at least, to fill it out so soon. The woman wasn't necessarily an ice queen, but from the usage her organization had gotten out of Kim and Ron in the past, Kim knew that Betty Director's scruples were a bit…narrower than her own. She was sure the leader of GJ would have tried to get as much distance out of her leverage over Shego that she could.

Then again…as long as Shego stayed with Kim, and as long as Dr. Director turned a blind eye to Kim's "vigilante" efforts, as Shego called them, she _was_, in effect, getting as much distance out of her leverage over Shego that she could.

"Well played," Kim murmured, staring down at her plate even as she thought it through.

Shego, though, was looking at Kim like she was nuts. "What's the matter, Kimmie?" she asked. "Your dinner conspiring against you?"

The redhead blinked, looking back up. "What? No!" She tilted her head to one side again, her expression the very model of confusion. "Why would you think that?"

Shego assumed a serious look, turned her eyes down to her plate, and stabbed at the last bit of meat there…and missed on purpose. She narrowed her eyes. "Well played," she complimented the steak.

Kim couldn't help but giggle. "Okay, okay, I get it," she said. "I was just thinking. And, before you say it, _not_ about my steak. Which, by the way, is really _really_ good."

"Thanks. And?"

_Obviously_, Kim thought, _Shego's not gonna give this up_. "Doctor Director only made you 'official' because she knew you'd be helping me out if you stayed with me."

"Doy," Shego replied, leaning back in her chair. "It probably helped that I told her that I was going to amend my statement."

"Amend it? How?"

"I told her yesterday that while she'd never get me as a solo, as long as I was gonna be with you, there would really be no way to avoid me getting back into the game."

Eagerness and shame warred for prominence on Kim's face. "I…look, I'm sorry I dragged you back in," she finally said, "and if you'd rather _not_, well, I managed against _you_ for four years. How hard can it be now?"

"Don't sweat it, Princess," Shego waved Kim's discomfort away. "See, one of the things that mean I can actually stand this—aside from, you know, not having my brothers around—is that you're _competent_. And, at least so far, you're not…" She thought for a moment. "Gotta find the right words. You're not expecting me to be silly and conforming."

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, so, Hego? Yeah. Had to be his way. _Everything_ had to be his way." She chuckled. "I couldn't even wake up at one in the morning to grab a midnight snack. And if I used the wrong hand to pass the ketchup at lunch, it was apologize or you'll lose that hand."

"You've _got_ to be joking." _Or exaggerating_. Kim wasn't sure which.

"Okay, I am. But only about that last sentence." Shego shrugged. "Seriously, he may be my brother, but I wonder where he got that from sometimes. It's not like either of my parents are that way, you know."

"Yeah…so. Back to Doctor Director. How'd she react to your declaration?"

"About how you'd think. She looked at me for a second, nodded, then told me to get the hell out of her office."

"She said that? Well…I guess I can see it." It was Kim's turn to shrug. "So that's it, then, huh? She's going to treat you like any other employee, you know, including you not having any 'special access' to her over and above anyone else there."

"Like she can stop me from getting 'special access,'" the verdant-skinned woman retorted. "Still and all, at least that monkey's off my back. I can't tell you how relieved I was that she apparently agreed that I wasn't going on any of your 'missions' alone."

--

"Me and my big, fat, fucking mouth," Shego whined, and Ron Stoppable, seated across from her, grinned.

The two unlikely allies were sitting in the troop section of an old-but-sturdy Douglas C-47 air transport plane, being whisked away to some country Shego couldn't care less about to save some ruler she _also_ couldn't care less about from a group of villainous thugs she had even _less_ reason to care about. After all, those thugs were giving her old profession a bad name by murdering; extorting protection money; and other, seedier aspects of her thieving days of yore. For that reason alone she wouldn't have minded coming along with Kimmie to kick some ass.

_And then Kimmie had to go and break her leg._

It was an accident, of course; some kid was skateboarding around the campus of Go University, earning a few sniggers from other underclassmen as to what decade the skater thought he was living in—roller blades had become the transportation choice du jour since Kim had been a high school freshman—and in general being ignored by everyone else.

Including Kim.

Then a bad rail grind sent him into her, and the leading edge of his skateboard, to which was added his considerable mass, impacted Kim square on the shin. People dozens of feet away had heard the crack as the bones broke, and only shock induced by the sheer unlikeliness of the sitch had kept Kim's head on straight even as she took another step and watched in morbid interest as the lower half of her shin bent out _sideways_ instead of staying straight.

The former cheerleader was currently resting in their dorm room, bones re-set, leg wrapped in a cast, crutches nearby. And she was forbidden from missions for six weeks. That order had come from the doctor who'd set the leg, her own mother, and Doctor Director, as well.

Which was why, when Kim's device chirped its usual happy-minor-third trill that heralded the start of some excitement, Shego had snatched the device away, intending to chew out Wade for teasing Kim with adventure even as she healed, and instead had frozen, insult still on her tongue, when Betty Director's face appeared.

The conversation had been short, terse…and more of an _order_ than a request. Shego had hardly had time to refuse before the screen went dark, and she had spent the next few minutes trying unsuccessfully to raise the good doctor again.

Shego had reared her arm back, ready to smash the device against the far wall and melt it for good measure, when a sudden pressure on her raised wrist kept her from moving forward. She felt the Kimmunicator slip from her hand, then another, similar shape entered it; the pressure released, and Shego threw whatever-it-was at the far wall, where it smashed satisfyingly into its constituent parts.

"Didn't need that one anyway," Kim had commented. "It was already broken."

Back in the present, Shego shook her head in exasperation once again. Reliving the circumstances behind her presence hardly did a thing to improve her mood, though Kim's reaction still brought an unwilling smile to her face. Still, she would have preferred to have let Ron go this one alone. The old battleaxe had told her, though, in no uncertain terms, that she still wanted _someone_ to watch Shego, and Ron had been the second available choice.

She cast a glance at the blond buffoon. He was, undoubtedly, aware of what had caused her outburst a few seconds ago, which did nothing to ease her temper. Still, she managed to rein herself in enough to keep from threatening to fry the grin off his face. _And that's because _I_ wanted to, not because it would make Kimmie sad._

…_And probably because he hasn't been nearly as annoying as normal_, she admitted grudgingly to herself. It was, in fact, true: Ron had barely said two words after the plane had taken off. His animal companion was passing the plane ride in slumber, so she was thankfully spared his slightly-creepy presence. She still didn't understand how Kim put up with him—_either_ "him"—for as long as she did.

The pilot's voice cut into her irritation. "Over the target drop in five," his voice called over the intercom. Shego and Ron stood at the same time, each one grabbing their respective parachute and donning it quickly. Shego watched in sheer fascination as Ron actually attached a miniature version to Rufus, who had awakened at the pilot's call.

She didn't have much time to waste doing that, though, as the door in the fuselage clunked once. It slid inward and the cabin air began to rush out, whistling as it went, as pressures tried to equalize.

"Reached the jump zone," the pilot announced. "Happy landings."

The door continued to open, splitting in two and sliding along the interior of the fuselage, and the whistling increased to a full-on roar. It tugged at Shego as she walked to the opening, and without taking a look back she stepped right over the threshold…and into nothing.

The first second or two of freefall always scared the living daylights out of her, until she could get her bearings and orient herself properly. This time was no different; she squelched the incipient panic as hard as she could and was rewarded with a literal bird's-eye view of a significant portion of the European countryside.

The wind noise deafened her to pretty much everything else as she oriented herself to arrow straight down, reaching terminal velocity a few short seconds after leaving the plane. Her hair whipped out behind her, teased into a frenzied mess from the wind.

By now she could see the castle they needed to enter. Bringing her hand forward, she watched her wrist-mounted altimeter spiral crazily downward as she dropped. She spread out her arms and legs, catching the air and altering her descent path slightly.

A small bullet whizzed past her, and Ron, tumbling end-over-end, followed, though his rate of passage was a tad more sedate. She barely caught him hollering "Rufus!" before he was below her and his voice was lost to the air.

Shego cursed, thinking first that Kim would never let her live if Ron bought the farm, and second that he was going to give their presence away. Before she could alter her own shape, though, a pair of parachutes blossomed only a few hundred feet below her. She cursed again, trying to lean forward so she would pass Ron without hitting him. _It's gonna be close…_

And close it was; she caught the edge of his 'chute with her foot. The fabric tangled with her, yanking her leg back and sending her spinning. The ground and sky traded places with dizzying speed, and she had to fight to keep her lunch down. She threw an arm out, hoping to catch some air with it and slow her tumble. It worked, but slowly; adding her other arm slowed the spin even more, until finally she was falling straight again, this time facing away from the ground.

Shego cursed her luck yet again, drew her arms in, and spun once, voluntarily, until she was pointed down again, then checked her wrist altimeter once more.

_Dammit! Lost eight thousand feet with that spill, don't have much more time…_ Noting that she didn't have the benefit of a forest to break her fall—and thankful that she didn't have Kim in her arms to protect—she pulled on her parachute's ripcord, listening to the pilot 'chute rustle as the wind caught it and yanked the main 'chute free with tooth-jarring force.

Having opted for a rectangular parachute, Shego had somewhat more control over her descent than Ron; she guided herself to the grassy field surrounding the castle. On her way down, she took as good a look at the place as she could, and noted a distinct lack of henchmen patrolling or guarding it.

She hit the ground and rolled, tearing herself free of her parachute pack and slicing effortlessly through the material as it fluttered down around her. Ron landed a minute later with a thud, and it was Shego's turn to grin as a muffled "Ow!" issued from the lump under his parachute. Rufus touched down with as much grace as a naked mole rat could muster, chewing his way through the harness in less time than it took Ron to get free.

Shaking her head, Shego pulled Ron from the wreckage of his 'chute. "Look," she growled, though she still made sure he was uninjured. "We're going to do this my way…which means quietly. If you can't do quiet, I'll send you in the front."

"I can do quiet," he said petulantly, but in a quieter tone than Shego herself had used.

"You'd better," she added threateningly, before setting off for the castle itself.

--

Five minutes passed, and Shego was impressed, though she was loath to show it.

While Ron might not have kept up with her speed and skill, he was definitely not as clownish as she'd been half-afraid he would be; in fact, he was managing to stay almost as completely silent as she herself, and doing a good job of staying out of obvious sight lines.

_Looks like that ninja girlfriend of his is making a good impression._

They made their way through the outer ring of the castle's hallways, passing a few squads of goons clad in what looked like Dementor's usual goon getup. The sight made Shego think. _So Bets said she didn't know whodunit here, just that the guy needed saving…I guess now we find out?_

She and Ron came upon a door, just then, that made then both stop and look. The door was massive, easily ten feet tall, and looked to be made of thick oak, banded with iron. They could hear muffled voices from behind it, but even after motioning for complete silence and pressing her ear to it, Shego could not make out any details.

"Keep any of 'em off my back," she told Ron, who nodded and ran off back the way they'd come. Just as Shego was reaching for the door handle, muffled thud noises and a couple of short cries signaled that Ron had found the nearest patrol…and put it out of commission.

"Boy's getting good," she muttered, before giving the door a shove and striding in like she owned the place.

She stopped only a few steps in after a group of twelve henchmen—from their dress, a mix of Dementor's and…the local forces?--looked up from their argument. They saw her standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, eyebrow raised, posture slightly slouched to one side…and did nothing.

Shego was moderately confused. Usually she could intimidate goons by walked past them even she wasn't paying any attention. But this…? They didn't _look_ any different to her, so any improvement on their part was out of the question.

Then one of them cracked a grin. "Hey, look! It's Sheegie-Weegie!" He adopted a kissy face. "Wanna come give your pumpkin a kissy-wissy?" He held his hands up, folded, near his shoulder and stayed all puckered up; his voice was just shy of saccharine. The rest of his crew responded with low chuckles and a couple of full-on laughs.

Shego was…horrified. The only other grown man she'd ever seen act like he was nine years old was Drakken, and he had the excuse of his mad genius.

_Well…mad something._

This, though, was an all-new level of just _weird_. "Yeah," she replied, "I was looking for Maturity Central. Guess I have to go talk to Killigan for that."

The insult was not lost to them, and the taunter dropped his act. "You're one to talk," he growled. "What's it like being a lipstick lesbian? Went all soft for your Twue Wove? Being a villain wasn't good enough for ya? Had to go for a girl half your age?"

_Now_ she was angry. And passably excited. She hadn't had a good angry-fight in a while. "Just because I went 'Kimmie,'" she replied, flowing into her open-clawed fighting stance and igniting her hands, "doesn't mean I went 'soft.'" Even as she stopped talking, a feral grin remained.

The ringleader, apparently, wasn't frightened…or at least he didn't show it. "Get 'er, boys!"

They tried to dogpile her, which was their first mistake; a pair of plasma balls knocked eight off their feet as the two she hit flew back into three of their compatriots each. While they sorted themselves out from the tangle of limbs, she engaged the last four. A leg sweep knocked down one; rolling away from the clumsy grab of the second, she spun around, ran back to him, and dropped him with a kick to his head.

A third tried to bear-grab her from behind, but she kicked behind herself and was rewarded with her foot striking his kneecap. The sole of her boot locked the joint and he hissed in pain, loosening his grip enough that she slid down, then came back up with an open palm strike to the underside of his jaw, lifting him off the ground a few feet.

The ringleader growled and tried to grab for a weapon, but she lunged forward and grabbed the material of his jumpsuit, twisting her hand and pulling down with enough force to make him stumble. While she recovered her balance from the lunge, he began to lose his, and Shego only made it worse by delivering a plasma-enhanced slap to the back of his head. His face smacked into the castle floor and he grunted in pain.

She looked around the room once, for something to restrain the first eight she'd taken out, and spotted a hanging chandelier. Thoughts of it being too cliché lasted only a second as she lobbed another plasma blast at the chain holding it in place. The chain gave way after only a few seconds of her projectile eating through it, and the giant ring crashed down on them, pinning them all in place.

She stalked back over to the ringleader, rolled him over, and hoisted him up by the collar of his jumpsuit. "Still think I'm soft?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head, eyes wide with fear.

"Good. Now. Where's your boss?"

He raised a shaking hand and pointed towards the center of the castle. _That's what I figured, but it's nice to be certain_. She released his collar, and he flopped back to the ground, head smacking against the hard floor once again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ron poke his head in and jerk it away from them—a clear signal for "Come on!" Shego rose to her feet and walked out of the room, but not before delivering her parting shot.

"If _I_ looked like _her_ at half _my_ age, I'd love me, too."

--

Shego and Ron stayed absolutely stock-still in the air vent shaft as they watched Professor Dementor and another man—presumably the ruler they were supposed to be rescuing, if his clothing was any indication—talking quietly but excitedly over a large table covered in maps. The maps were of Central Europe…and to Shego's eyes it looked like they were using it to play Risk.

Little figurines of men and artillery dotted several of the countries, with a couple of mock castles thrown in to make it look better. As she watched, Dementor pulled out what looked like a shuffleboard stick and pushed a group of the little army men across one border and into another. They didn't roll any dice, but they did remove the figurines that were already present in the second country.

Despite the tight confines of the air duct, Shego turned to look at Ron. "Does that look to you like it does to me?" she whispered.

"If you mean, does it look like they're playing around with little plastic army men on a map of a part of the world that we're probably in and using it to plan a grand strategy for taking over at least this part of the world and probably using it as a staging ground to launch invasions all over the rest of the world for mutual fun and profit and then one will eventually stab the other in the back so there will only be one ruler of the world…" he took a breath "then yes. It does look that way."

As Ron ran his mouth Shego's eyes grew wider and wider, until he finally breathed again. She shook her head. "You're something else," she muttered, "and I'm almost sorry to have to do this."

"Do what?" Ron asked, but before he could finish, Shego had lit her hands, swiped the screws out of the vent grate, kicked the grate out, and shoved Ron through it.

--

Kim, watching the goings-on halfway across the world at the Global Justice office near Go City through the Kimmunicator Shego was carrying, winced and shook her head as Ron went flying through the hole in the air duct. "Gentle, love, please?" she asked the air quietly, though she was halfway smiling. _After all, Ron probably would have done that all by himself anyway_.

She had arrived a few minutes earlier, delivered by request to Dr. Director to watch the proceedings of the mission. Kim couldn't tell if Betty was worried Shego wouldn't perform or would abandon the mission, or if she just wanted Kim's input on how things were handled on the other end.

The view moved as Shego prepared to exit the vent as well, but stopped when something came over the audio.

--

"Ach! Get the Possible Trap ready, you bungling oaf!" Dementor's shrill yell carried easily, echoing off the castle's hard walls. Shego blinked. _Possible Trap?_

Ron finally hit the ground, though he was, for once, able to land on his feet.

His pants fluttered down atop his head a second and a half later, covering his blush…and allowing him to miss seeing the stupefied stare the other man beside Dementor was giving him.

The puny Prussian whacked the King—at least, Shego assumed it was a King; he _did_ have a rather fancy crown-like headpiece—on the arm, and the King blinked twice before shaking himself and whirling around to stab a button on the table under the maps.

Klaxons on the walls flashes, sirens blared, and the floor and walls moved as the Map Room transformed itself into something apparently designed to make short work of even the great Kim Possible.

Shego grinned. _This'll be more entertaining than I thought._

--

Kim grinned as she watched through the video feed. "They see Ron and still think I'm there," she commented to Doctor Director, who was also watching.

"Indeed," the one-eyed leader of the police agency concurred, her voice curiously neutral.

_She's probably wondering why Shego isn't helping. Won't _she _be in for a surprise. _Levering herself into a seat, Kim laid her crutches by the side of the chair and prepared to watch this latest attempt at trappery fail utterly.

--

Great sections of the floor split apart into squares two feet on a side. A portion of them rose quickly; equally as many sank equally as far, leaving the rest at the same floor height. Spikes descended from the ceiling and spears poked out from the walls, denying a surface to jump off of or cling to. The floor squares began to move again, rising and falling at seemingly random intervals.

Ron clung for dear life to the top of one of the squares. "KP! A little help!" he yelled, forgetting just who it was he was here with.

Shego couldn't really blame him, from her perch still in the vent. While death traps were more Drakken's style, she knew all Kimmie's major villains considered her enough of a pain to try them. This…was just more elaborate than most. Beyond that, though, it looked like Ron was in his usual element—the distraction/sidekick role.

_All I needed,_ she thought, before grabbing the edge, digging her claws in, and swinging out. She landed on a square just as it reached its high point. From this new vantage point she couldn't see Dementor or the other guy anymore, which meant they probably had already escaped.

_And they wonder why Kimmie always escapes their death traps,_ she thought, rolling her eyes. _If they stayed to the very end, they'd know_. She brought her hands together and swept a plasma beam across the wall opposite Ron, watching as the spears quickly incinerated under the attack.

Once that wall was clear, she tried the ceiling spikes, with only moderate success; they were taking too long to melt away, being all-metal, and she and Ron were losing time they could be using to chase down the Bad Guys.

Using a series of flips and leaps only Kim could duplicate, Shego made her way across the floor to the square next to Ron, at which point she became aware of one disturbing reality:

Every square she'd touched on the way here had crumbled into nothing, and she heard the faint sounds of splashing as the pieces splashed into some water all the way down. Muffled groans indicated there was something alive down there as well that didn't appreciate the falling debris. _If this were Drakken's lair, it'd be big, lots of arms, teeth, and angry. This guy, though…could be anything._ She reached out when Ron's square dropped past the level of hers and grabbed his shirt. "Stoppable!" she shouted.

Ron leaped to his feet. "SG!" he hollered, looking around wildly until he spotted her above his own level. "Whatcha need from the Ron-Man?"

Shego rolled her eyes. "One, no more with the panic. Two, gimme your grapple thingy."

Ron looked blank for a second before remembering just what she was talking about, and he pulled the grapple unit provided courtesy of his contacts at Yamanouchi from his pocket. He tossed it up to her.

She grabbed it from the air. "Don't move any more than that. These things fall apart if you do." So saying, she took aim at the wall she'd cleared and fired. The grapple sailed across the room before impacting with the wall. It failed to drive in; the walls were too dense to penetrate, but it did hit the ground and snag in a pile of spear-bits.

"Where's your little pink thing?" Shego shouted down to Ron. She was starting to feel tremors in the square under her feet, suggesting maybe she was wrong…and they were about to fall out from under them, movement or no.

Ron dug into his other pocket, producing Rufus, who gave a thumbs-up to Shego, who in turn looked a bit creeped out. She still wasn't used to his intelligence.

Rufus scampered along Ron's arm and leaped onto Shego's square, which promptly began to tremble even harder. Her eyes widened as she felt it start to give. She scooped up the mole rat and flipped over onto another square not one second too soon; the one she had been standing on was gone by the time she turned and looked back at it.

Making a "phew" sound, Rufus clambered down Shego's leg to the ground again, before looking up at her. She shook her head. "Look, I'm gonna hold onto this end, you climb across the rope and figure out how to stop this stupid trap. Kay?"

"Uh huh!" Rufus delivered another thumbs-up before climbing back up her and across the rope. His weight caused the grapple to shift in the pile of debris, and he clung for dear life as the rope wavered, but it held, and he finished his way across without further incident.

"He'll find it," Ron called as his square passed hers on its way up. "Always does."

She remained silent as she favored him with a raised eyebrow. _Do I really look like I need comforting?_ She had to admit, though, that this was certainly getting her adrenaline running.

Precisely two minutes after sending Rufus to find the mechanicals, Shego felt the room shudder to a halt. The spikes retracted, as did the spears, and while the floor remained uneven, at least it wasn't falling apart any more.

Jumping off the remnants of the trap, Shego inspected the table the two plotters had been at before. Sure enough, the maps were still there, as were the Risk pieces. She pulled the Kimmunicator off of the belt looped around the outside of her usual costume and held it over the table. "You guys getting this?"

"Affirmative," Betty Director's voice came back. "It is apparent that, while the plans look valid, they will take time to bring to fruition."

"Yeah," Shego agreed, "but it also looks like the call to Kimmie's site was a fake."

"Indeed. By the sound of it, this whole mission was a trap set for her. Well done in thwarting it."

"Piece of cake," Shego muttered. "Now can we get out of here?"

"Affirmative," Betty repeated. "There will be a Global Justice helicopter at your position in eight minutes. Go to castle roof for pickup. Director out." The screen winked to blackness.

Eight minutes later, as promised, the three of them were out of there.

--

"So I heard you did good today," Kim teased as Shego climbed in through the window back at their dorm.

"You heard, huh?" Shego asked as she closed the window. She marched over to the chair Kim was occupying, picked her up—being careful with her injured leg—sat down, and placed Kim on her lap. "Where'd you 'heard' that from?"

"A little birdie told me." She snuggled in close.

"A birdie with one eyeball?"

"Could be." Kim smiled demurely.

"Yeah, well, it's about to have one wing when I'm done with it," Shego grumped. She stretched her arms over her head. "Nap first, though. Geez, one look at you in this chair and I'm already ready to black out. Guess that was tougher than I thought."

"You've earned it," Kim assured her girlfriend, who gave her a level look in the middle of the stretch before completing it and appropriating Kim's shoulder as a pillow.

"Just a couple minutes," the green girl said tiredly. Kim just smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Sweet dreams," she whispered, for Shego was already asleep.

--

A/N: Okay, this started out as a "lazy day" chapter and ended up being not so much of one because I HAD to use that cliché. Sorry. It was too funny to pass up.

Next time: Kim's family makes a surprise visit to catch up with their injured daughter…


	19. Chapter 19: Semper Ubi Tui Sub Ubi

Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 19

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Kim and company are Disney's stuff. Kane and Isabel, used in this chapter or otherwise, belong to StarvingLunatic.

--

It was a dry, hot day. The sun beat mercilessly down on the rocky dirt, heating the area to temperatures well in excess of a hundred degrees on the Fahrenheit scale. There was a slight breeze, but it did nothing to cool; instead it just picked up loose dirt and dust and swirled it around, driving right into the eyes of the lone man staring down at the tableau from his perch.

The man adjusted his low, wide-brimmed hat, keeping the sun from his eyes, and pulled the kerchief around his neck up to cover his mouth and nose. "No sense breathin' that in," he murmured bitterly to himself.

The man turned away from the scene in front of him, stalking back toward his jeep and climbing in. He started the engine and put it in gear, all the while exuding the kind of personality that would make a cactus seem friendly. A scant few minutes later—and a mile or so away—he parked the jeep and got out.

This scene was slightly different from the first one he'd seen; it looked somewhat like a cattle ranch, except instead of the usual complement of cows, it was filled with kangaroos. One of the animals hopped up to the fence as the man walked past, and he reached out and patted its head, a small, sad smile lifting his mood only a little before he continued on into the single-story house situated in the middle of the ranch.

Inside, he hung his hat, running his fingers through his short, sandy blond hair while shaking the dust off his boots. He passed through three rooms before stopping in front of a photograph hanging on a wall, staring at it forlornly. "Ya shouldn't'a left, sheila," he muttered.

The picture featured the man standing next to a woman, both of whom were smiling—a stark contrast to his current demeanor. They were standing in front of the same dust bowl the man had just left, each holding a shovel in one hand; the other arm was wrapped around the other person's shoulders.

With only a single sigh at the memories evoked by the photo, he spun it on its hook, revealing a numeric keypad behind it. The man entered a long code, and when he was done the house began to shake slightly. Thick metal plates slid up over the windows, followed a moment later by columns of metal ascending the walls and expanding to armor the entire interior. The ceiling split down the middle, and the mechanical hissing noises of heavy hydraulics drowned out the rattling of plates and glasses as the house opened like a flower. As the man stood, the walls began to slide upward, and for a moment he felt like he was shrinking—until the floor he was standing on began to rise along with the rest of the house.

The walls retracted, telescoping into themselves, leaving the man standing in the middle of a large open area. The house continued to move up, and he could hear dull clanking sounds as the space below him separated itself into separate floors.

In short order the house—or what was left of it—came to rest, and the man found himself standing atop a virtually impregnable tower. Above him a force field shimmered to life, preserving the view while protecting the inside from the ravages of Nature. Panels on the floor slid aside, allowing vast banks of computer equipment to rise smoothly into place with hollow clicks. A larger hole opened in one wall, wide enough for two and tall enough to accommodate someone half again the man's height. The lighting penetrated just far enough to illuminate the back side, while doing absolutely nothing to dispel the darkness beginning just shy of the floor.

The man walked toward the largest screen, one displaying a map of the world's smallest continent, and stared at it moodily. He began mumbling to himself as he manipulated the controls in front of the screen, causing it to zoom in on the center of the aforesaid continent. A single glowing blue dot appeared, blinking slowly before a web of similarly blue lines reached out from it. The map zoomed back out a bit, and a phrase appeared around the first dot; it sat right in the middle of the word GAFA while the lines reached through the letters, terminating in other dots that then sprouted subsequent lines of their own, reaching in turn to still more dots, until the entire continent was criss-crossed in a tangle of blue; very little of the original map's coloration remained.

Satisfied, the man allowed an evil little grin to spread across his face. As his projection continued, eventually the entire continent turned blue, followed by the outlying islands like New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and points north-west, until it established a foothold in southeast Asia and spread like a malign disease. By the time it reached halfway into China and India he was cackling, rubbing his hands together in thoroughly evil enjoyment.

It didn't take much longer for his projection to turn the entire world blue, and when it did, he suddenly ceased his laughing and stabbed another button. The display went dark.

"Can't let it get ta my head," he warned himself, pacing now in front of the display. "First things first, and that's right here. Gotta start small, gotta work up."

Most people would say that talking to one's self is a sure sign of an unstable mind. This man would probably have had them hauled off to whatever dungeons were nestled in the bottom layers of his tower, which would have, ironically, partially proven their point. However, he was _not_ talking to himself; a few seconds into his seeming monologue, a form moved out of the shadowy hole in the wall, its smooth bounding motion coming to a halt only a few steps away from the path the man was tracing.

"Ah, Lurk," he said when he noticed its presence. "Good ta have ya, mate."

It took a couple of steps further forward, revealing itself to be a kangaroo-shaped amalgamation of metallic parts, blinking LEDs, and actual animal flesh and blood. Both its hind legs were metal, as was one foreleg and part of its head. The animal regarded him with a steady, unblinking gaze before spreading its forelegs in an approximation of a shrug, hopping over to stand next to the display. It bounced in place, looking, if anything, anxious.

"Patience, mate," the man urged, though the evil smirk was back in place. "It'll still take a bit o' time to really get things goin', but London to a brick the country'll be ours for the takin'." He turned the display back on, the Earth in all its newly blue glory, and put an arm around the cyborg kangaroo's shoulders. "Just a few more months and this'll all be ours. And then she can't say I'm not the full quid anymore, can she? No more claimin' I don't do nothin' for me!"

The half-machine half-animal stared impassively at the sight of the man cackling madly once more.

--

Being able to walk again, Kim Possible decided, was the _second_-best part of having the cast off her formerly broken leg. The _best_ part was being able to scratch the damn itches that always popped up when she couldn't get to them. She'd been looking forward to the visit this morning, where the cast had been removed, for surely every week her leg had been trapped inside the fiberglass prison.

Still, she surmised as she made her fourth lap of the outside of her dorm building, having her mobility back was pretty important. No need for crutches, no need to take things slowly like climbing the stairs…

…and she could get back to her regularly-scheduled Save the World gig.

She was _really_ looking forward to that one, especially when all she'd had for the last five weeks were the tales Shego brought of the weird sitches that Dr. Director stuck her and Ron in. She admitted that they were amusing, especially with the way Shego presented them; Kim was beginning to wonder if the woman was secretly an author or something, since her stories were always so captivating. Still, she would vastly prefer making her _own_ stories…or making them with Shego alongside. Either would be preferable to sitting at home while someone else got to race out and beat up the Bad Guys. That wasn't her favorite part—the simple rush she got from the action was—but it was undeniably satisfying to see law-breakers put behind bars where they belonged.

All things considered, though, she was just glad to finally have her leg back and in one piece.

Not having seen her black-haired lover that day, Kim finished her building laps and walked over to the tree outside her dorm's window. She sat against it, watching the side where the fake ladder Shego had carved into the wall was hidden. Kim could just see it, but then she knew what to look for, and where to see it; a casual observer would never notice unless, by dumb luck, they stumbled upon one of the marks.

She smiled to herself. _Ron would probably find them right away._ The blond was fond of touting his reliance on "dumb skill," but with Yori's training that was fast becoming _actual_ skill, leaving only his knack for accidentally finding something critically important.

A stiff breeze stirred up, and Kim pulled her jacket tight; it was early November, her six cast-bound weeks taking up most of the middle half of the semester. While the weather hadn't turned completely frozen yet, it was snappy outside at times, and this was no exception; Kim wished Shego was home so she could snuggle up to the other woman's pleasant warmth and just fall asleep.

Before she lost herself in her daydream, though, movement caught her attention, and she watched as Shego herself dismounted her motorcycle. The former thief was very careful to park the bike behind as many trees as she could, blocking away viewing angles, before touching a button on the bike and rendering it invisible. She padded over to the wall and carefully began to climb; the blackness of her hair was easily visible, even in the dying light, against the dull red brick of the back side of the dormitory, and Kim watched her get about five feet up before saying anything.

"Shego…?"

Shego flinched before turning her head to one side and spotting Kim sitting under the tree. "Heya, Princess," she said, letting go of the wall and dropping to the ground. "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you to get home," she said honestly, holding her arms up like a little child.

Shego obliged by hauling Kim to her feet, where the smaller girl latched on around her chest. Shego closed her eyes for a moment, luxuriating in the feel of the tight grip around her. Even now, over two months after they'd first gotten over how they felt about each other, she still felt as thrilled by her companion's affection as she did at their first kiss.

"I missed you," Kim whispered in her ear, and Shego felt her lips quirk upward.

"It's mutual, Kimmie," Shego answered, placing a kiss to the top of Kim's head. "C'mon. Let's go inside."

"Can you carry me up?" Kim asked, a mischievous look in her eyes when she leaned back to ask.

Shego scoffed, "Up the outside? Are you nuts? Wait—don't answer that. It's too obvious." She was rewarded with Kim pouting, which earned a laugh from the former villainess.

"C'mon, Princess," she said, turning and walking back to the wall. Kim followed, putting her arms around Shego's neck this time instead of her chest. "At least you've got that cast off; that thing weighed almost as much as you."

"Felt that way," Kim agreed as they began their ascent. Kim was still amazed, after two months, by just how powerful Shego was, carrying the both of them up the wall with apparently little more effort than just climbing on her own. She could feel the muscles shifting under the jumpsuit Shego wore for her Global Justice forays, and decided that she owed Shego something to loosen the powerful bands in her neck and shoulders after dealing with, essentially, Kim's extracurriculars for the last month and a half.

Shego made it up the wall and crawled in through the unlocked window in Kim's dorm. When the younger girl dismounted from her back, she closed the window again and locked it up. Kim leaned in and kissed her cheek before shooing her lover off to change with the warning to keep her clothing choice loose. Shego's eyebrow rose, but Kim waved off the questioning look as she moved off to the kitchenette.

Grabbing a couple of her fluffier towels from the closet she kept her linens in, Kim hastily moved the few pieces of furniture around to make room on the floor. She had just finished laying the towels down when Shego came out in sweatpants and a sleeveless white t-shirt. Kim smiled at her, grabbed a pillow from the nearer chair, and pointed to the floor.

"Right here," she commanded when Shego gave her another confused look. "C'mon. Lie down."

She ended up getting behind Shego and pushing her to the towels when the older woman moved too slowly for her liking. Once the pale ex-thief was in place, lying on her stomach with her head turned to the side, Kim sat on her, straddling her rump while she leaned forward and kneaded Shego's shoulders with her thumbs.

Shego's eyes immediately closed in appreciation. "When'd you learn how to give a massage, Kimmie?"

"I didn't."

"Ah. Well, you're doing fine anyway."

"I know. You haven't told me to stop yet."

Shego didn't have to look to know that Kim was smiling smugly. Not that she was going to; the girl's hands were working magic on her shoulders and neck, and between the mission she just returned from and the effort her girlfriend was doing, she was looming ever closer to just giving in and taking a nap…

…Until a quick tug resulted in her wearing the t-shirt over her head instead of on her torso, the fabric caught around her shoulders.

"Kimmie?"

"Hmm?" Without the shirt in the way, the redhead's touches became both more pleasurable and more personal.

"…You've got twenty minutes to stop that…"

Kim only grinned, continuing to work her thumbs into some of the more tense-feeling areas on Shego's back. She herself was pleased to find the plasma-slinger without a bra, which made her job that much easier…and it allowed her to take advantage of the situation, which she did with less than no shame.

Shego moaned deep in her throat when Kim's fingers found the sides of her breasts, but she didn't bother moving; the touching, for the moment, was more of a relief than a source of excitement, and she didn't want it to stop for any length of time. She smiled when she felt Kim placing light kisses along her shoulders. _I can't believe I'm so lucky,_ she thought idly. "She's the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

Shego didn't even realize she'd spoken aloud until a few seconds later, when Kim's ministrations ceased. She opened her eyes and twisted her head a bit further so she could see her smaller lover, who was smiling far more widely than what Shego believed was healthy. "What?"

Kim shook her head, opting to lean down instead of speak. She laid down on top of Shego, kissing between her shoulder blades before leaning up to whisper in her ear. "You're _my_ best thing too, you know."

Shego laughed. "I'm gonna drown in mushy!"

"You know you love mushy!"

She twisted under Kim, rolling the hero off of her and then climbing on top. "I love _you_. There's a difference."

Kim's heart swelled to hear those three words again, and she leaned up to kiss her partner. A moment of mischief followed, Kim finally succeeding in pulling Shego's shirt off entirely. She laid back for a moment to just admire the scene: Shego, straddling Kim's waist this time, topless, with her glorious black hair hanging around them like a drape, one of her patented "I win" smirks on her lips. The redhead was struck with a moment of pure awe at the beauty she had all to herself.

"You are _so _gorgeous," Kim breathed, the feeling of wonder almost overwhelming her.

Shego, apparently deciding the odds remained in Kim's favor, leaned in for another passionate embrace, and while their lips locked she pulled the hem of Kim's shirt up, only breaking the kiss long enough to fling the article of clothing away. Soon enough Shego had what she wanted: her Princess pressed against her, both of them making gentle noises from the feeling of skin-to-skin contact, both of them similarly pleased by the lack of the obtrusive cast.

Kim broke their feverish kissing for a moment, and she smiled again when Shego's moans turned into a little disappointed noise. "Easy, Tiger," she teased, and giggled when Shego nipped at her nose. "Hey! Dinner first."

"I've got my dinner right here," Shego growled, annoyed that Kim wanted to eat instead of make love.

"Come on," Kim chided. "I know sleep can't be the only thing you need after what I heard you did today."

"And what did you 'heard' I did today?"

"I heard you had to run half a marathon."

Mention of the mission Shego had accomplished earlier brought a growl to the ex-thief's lips, and Kim smiled in spite of the expression. "Oh, be nice," she chided gently, prying Shego off of her but making no move to dress again. "It may have been huge and way too fast, but it was still just a dog."

"Yeah, well, Falsetto 'Just a Dog' Jones is going on my shit-list."

Kim giggled. "And how many other names are on there?"

"Just one," Shego responded airily. She got up, helping Kim to her feet, and made sure to draw their makeshift curtain across the window Shego used for access; the moment may have been ruined, but both girls still had hormones running wild, and that meant clothing would be…optional while Kim fixed them an actual meal.

--

Kim awoke slowly, stretching her arms over her head and feeling several joints pop as she did so. A touch around her waist reminded her that she needed to be careful; Shego was holding her there, her chin at Kim's shoulder, raven-colored tresses spilling out behind her to fall off the side of the bed. The thin sheet they usually slept under was just as tangled as their legs were, making moving even more difficult.

For the moment, Kim gave up on getting up, instead settling back to just watch her lover's face, a feeling of utter adoration growing in her chest the longer she looked. _I never knew_, she mused silently. _Never knew that I _could _feel like this…about anyone, not just her._

"God, I love you," she muttered, but even that small voice was thick with emotion. Kim leaned in and kissed the tip of Shego's nose before settling back.

Then she made the mistake of looking at the clock.

_Oh, shit!_

Normally calm in the face of even the deadliest death trap, Kim nearly panicked outright over the fact that she'd awakened nearly a half-hour late…but if she hurried, she'd be able to make it to class on time. She wouldn't have worried so much if today hadn't been a fairly serious exam.

The sudden movement from the bed startled Shego awake, but she really didn't feel like moving, so she just relaxed while Kim flitted around trying to make herself even halfway presentable.

Just as Kim was pulling on the first leg of a pair of blue jeans, there came a light knock at the front door to her dorm. Confused, she looked over at the bed, finding Shego awake and watching her with her usual predatory leer. Kim blushed—two months in, and Shego's stares still thrilled her—but managed to ask, "Any idea who that was?"

Shego shook her head just as whoever was at the door knocked again. Kim glanced back toward the front of her dorm. "Just a minute!" she called, trying in vain to speed up getting dressed.

Then she had an idea. "Shego…" she called. "Did I ever tell you that I have the bestest girlfriend in the universe?"

"Only about forty times last night."

The laconic reply earned another blush, but Kim sighed. "Can you get the door, maybe? I have no idea who's there but I have to dash to a test in like ten minutes and I have to finish getting dressed and get everything together and…"

By the time Kim finished her short litany Shego was already grumbling while getting out of the bed. While she wouldn't have minded wandering around in the nude with just her Kimmie around, whoever was knocking at the door probably wouldn't appreciate it much. _Or maybe they would, in which case _I_ wouldn't appreciate it._ She nabbed the first undergarments she could find, which happened to be Kim's, and struggled into it; the bra was at least a cup size too small for her, but it was the first thing within reach that would count as "decent" clothing. She pulled her hair back and appropriated the scrunchie Kim used while cleaning up in the morning, using it to hold her hair back in a massive ponytail.

Her "dressing" mission accomplished, Shego padded over to the door and swung it open…and instantly froze.

Standing less than three feet away, equally frozen and equally shocked, were a brown-haired middle-aged man, streaks of white at his temples, and a red-haired woman with intense blue eyes that looked like the spitting image of Kim.

Shego instantly recognized who they were. Thankfully, the shock kept her from opening her mouth…but that didn't stop her mind from commenting, _Oh, shit_.

The Doctors Possible—the visitors at the door—reacted similarly, both of them staring wide-eyed at the green-tinted girl that _wasn't_ their daughter greeting them at the door in her underwear…which was obviously too small for her.

Kim didn't even notice; she was too busy racing around, grabbing her backpack and finding her notes and doing some last-second cramming and putting her shoes on and getting ready to barrel out the door.

The three stayed frozen in the doorway for a short eternity; the spell of stillness slowly began to break only after Shego remembered she had to breathe. She mentally prepared herself for the firestorm to come, knowing that if she wanted to keep her Kimmie happy she needed to weather the parental abuse and not retaliate.

She was spared that fate for the immediate future when Kim came zipping up to the door. "Got a test today," she called as she ran up. "See you later. Bye, Shego." Delivering a kiss to the stunned woman's cheek, Kim slid past her and in between her parents. "Bye, Mom; bye, Dad," she said in a rush, going on tip-toe in order to kiss each parent on the cheek as well. Two seconds after that she was gone, dashing down the hallway to the staircase.

The tension level rose again as the three continued to stare at each other. Shego was well and truly past the point of running away; freezing the first time had seen to that. Unfortunately, that left exactly one course of action—especially after Kim's little display of affection.

"Won't you come in?" she asked, stepped back and opening the door wider to allow the parents entry.

Both doctors entered in something of a daze. Shego allowed them to enter, shut the door, then all but bolted back into the bedroom to actually put some clothes on. Bad-ass superpowered plasma-slinging master thief she may be…but meeting her girlfriend's parents still scared the shit out of her, especially when that first meeting was in _Kim's_ lingerie.

She sat back down across from them, dressed in her own clothing this time; the shorts and tank top were both gray, one of her few color concessions. She tried to calm her shaking nerves but it wasn't working too well. _I really don't want to be here…but Princess'd probably hunt me down and tie me up if I ran_.

At least she was saved the pain of actually having to start the conversation; Kim's mother spoke up first. "I, uh…don't believe we've been introduced yet," she said haltingly. Her alto voice was a bit jumpier than Shego last remembered it being.

She sighed. "Yeah, we have," Shego replied, standing up and leaving the room again. She came back only a few seconds later, her hair loose once again and her hands filled with objects. Standing in front of Kim's parents, she put her blue headband on first, watching as recognition dawned in their eyes. She then took it off, holding her other hand up. That hand contained her catsuit, and she held it against her body, discarding it when it became obvious, by their expressions, that they knew _exactly_ who she was now.

"Shego," Dr. Anne Possible breathed.

"You _do_ remember me!" the black-haired woman said with false cheer.

"Where's Drew?" Dr. James Possible asked, looking around warily. He even moved his arm away from the arm of the chair in which he sat, as if he was afraid it would bind him in place.

"Prison," she said simply. "If he's lucky."

"Lucky?" Anne echoed. "I think you're the lucky one, still free after everything you've done in the past."

The pitch of Anne's voice had remained level, but Shego could not mistake the scathing tone, and she felt her anger rising. "Walk a mile in my old boots, and _then_ tell me you wouldn't have done the same things I did." She crossed her arms under her breasts, her posture becoming defensive. "Geeze…here I thought, if Kimmie could forgive me, then anyone could."

That brought Kim's action of not three minutes ago to everyone's minds.

"And just what was that about?" Anne asked. As if it weren't weird enough already, she was treated to the sight of her daughter's arch-foe _blushing_.

"…Morning ritual," the ex-thief finally grumbled.

"Ritual?" This time, it was James parroting her words. "You always open the door in your unmentionables?"

"No, sometimes I do it naked," Shego retorted snidely, then sighed. _Not winning any points here…_ she reminded herself. _Got to try and stay calm…_

"Sorry," she ground out. She never apologized—at least, hardly ever—to her own parents, so it was something of an effort. "Look…I know it's a shock, and I totally wasn't expecting anyone to show up today—I don't think Kimmie was, either—so _obviously_ we're off on the wrong foot." She stood up and extended a hand to James. "Good morning, Mr. Possible. My name's Rheann Go," she introduced herself as calmly as she could.

James, looking a bit shell-shocked, shook the proffered hand, and Shego transferred it to Anne, who repeated the gesture. With that little formality out of the way, Shego flopped back in her chair and sighed again.

"I suppose you wanna know why I'm here," she mumbled, and they nodded. Sitting up as properly as she could, she looked each parent dead in the eye and said, "I'm here because I love your daughter more than life itself, and she loves me just as much—I hope—and I couldn't stand being away from her any more. I want to be near her. I want to give her anything she wants. I want to treat her like she deserves. I want to spend the rest of my life with her…and I think she feels the same."

To say everyone was surprised was an understatement; both doctors fainted dead away.

Shego was shocked herself; she'd never really considered it before, but apparently stress called forth what little natural honesty she still had. Still, she wasn't surprised about _what_ she'd said; she was surprised that she meant _every word_.

_No going back on that, though._ She smiled slightly at the mental image her statement had generated. _Not that I would_…

She arranged the unconscious parents to a position that looked at least vaguely comfortable, then slipped back into the bedroom to do a little clean-up after last night's lovemaking. She still wasn't looking forward to having the Possibles there for the rest of the day…but without knowing when they'd wake up, she had to bide her time—at least until Kim came back.

--

As for Kim herself, she was so absorbed in last-second cramming while she walked to class that it wasn't until she had to put her notes away—lest she walk right into the school building's door—that she realized exactly what had transpired when she left. Already nervous because of the exam, she felt the rest of the blood drain from her face while her innards twisted themselves into a Gordian knot. There was really only one thing to say.

"Oh, _shit._"

"Whassa matter, Possible? Little Perfect Princess forget her pencil?" one of the sophomores in her class asked, earning a snigger or three from the rest of the small group.

Kim didn't reply, instead turning a heated glare on the speaker; she was unconsciously channeling every off-handed lesson she'd ever gotten from Shego in belittling people, all the way back to the first time they'd met. The end result was the sophomore paling and letting out a little squeak while his cronies stopped laughing, before they all scooted off to class ahead of her.

"Stupid sophomores," Kim muttered darkly. Her whole concentration for the test was just _gone_ now…but she still had to take it. She trudged into the lecture hall and dropped into a seat, beyond caring any more about the test.

Almost exactly one hour later she left, in almost the same manner in which she'd entered. The test had gone well enough; it was easier than she was afraid of, and that had helped cheer her considerably.

Of course, when she finished, she remembered why she was so down in the first place…which brought her right back to reality. Now she got to go home, face curious and possibly angry parents, and explain why Shego had answered the door half-naked and covered (barely) by Kim's own rather lacy bra and panties.

_And Shego probably won't be there either_, she grumped to herself, figuring the thief would have made herself scarce about three seconds after Kim had left for class. _Not that I blame her…it's not like that was the best way to meet my parents._

That train of thought led her to wonder why her parents had decided to show up in the first place. She guessed they had attempted to surprise her while she was still saddled with the cast, possibly getting her to take the day off of her classes.

Light growling from the general direction of her stomach spurred her to get home faster, overriding the dread she felt building; she'd failed to grab anything to eat in her rush that morning. She frowned when she noticed her dorm once again hosting a large-ish crowd in front with the RAs at the doors once again; she still didn't know who'd done it the first time way back at the beginning of the semester, and this made the third repeat in the intervening time.

Shrugging it off—and not wanting to deal with the crowd—she circled around to the back and made use of Shego's favorite entry method. It took her only a minute or two more, as she wasn't nearly as familiar with them as Shego was, but she managed to find all the camouflaged climbing points. When she reached her window she tossed her bookbag in through it and climbed in herself…only to stop dead at the sound and sight that greeted her.

Shego was lounging in the large chair they liked to nap in, her usual smirk on her face.

Kim's parents were across the room from the green girl, similarly relaxed. They were gesturing animatedly while carrying on whatever conversation with Shego.

The thud of the bookbag onto the floor caught everyone's attention, and they looked over in time to see Kim pull herself all the way through the window and in to the apartment.

"Forget your keys in the rush, Kimmie-cub?" her father asked genially.

Kim didn't even bother picking up her bag; this whole scene was just _too_ weird. She was halfway expecting to see mind-control chips pasted on her parents' foreheads, in fact. _This sitch is like straight out of the Twilight Zone._

When Kim still didn't answer, Shego got up out of her chair, crossed the few steps to the window, and swept Kim into a senses-depriving kiss. The teen hero tried to resist at first, but she quickly lost that battle after only a few seconds. She felt Shego start to move, and suddenly Kim was only a few inches off the floor…still being thoroughly smooched.

When her lover finally broke off for air, Kim went limp, her arms thudding on the floor. Shego laughed at the theatrics, but picked her up anyway, carrying her over to the chair and sitting before placing Kim in her lap. Kim put her arms around Shego's neck…and then remembered the other people in the room. With a nervous look, and an equally nervous laugh, she said, "Hi Mom…hi Dad…"

Thankfully, instead of the shock and outrage she half-expected, both parents sported amused, knowing smiles. "Hi yourself, little tomboy," Anne said.

"Hey!"

"You kind of are, Princess."

"Not you, too…"

"Yes, me, too. So turn around and greet your parents properly."

Kim huffed, but got up and went to give her mother and father a hug. It was an interesting experience, because her face was still heated and blushing from both the kiss and the teasing, and she felt like the top of her head was going to pop from the pressure of her dad's arms.

Silence fell when she sat back down on Shego's lap; she didn't mean to rub their closeness in her parents' faces (in spite of that kiss), but it was really the only place left to sit. She was the first to break it. "So…uh…not to be rude, but why are you guys here?"

Anne shrugged. "It was the first day your father and I could get off of work at the same time to come visit. Honestly, we thought you'd still be in your cast, so we came to see how you were doing." She smiled wryly. "Apparently, the answer to that is 'pretty well.'"

Kim thought Shego had made her blush a lot before, but this one put them all to shame. "Yeah…sorry for flying by this morning, but I woke up late, and I had a test first thing…"

"Yes, it _was_ a bit of a…surprise," Anne said, and actually giggled when Shego blushed almost as vividly as Kim.

James patted his wife on the knee. "Your mother and I were also a bit worried after we heard about how you went up against Drew again recently. Then again, we did watch the news bits, too…and while they weren't too thrilled about the property damage in the city here, I _did_ notice something about how they talked about my daughter teaming up with the…how'd they put it, dear?"

"Teaming up with her 'former arch-nemesis that apparently isn't so arch or nemesis-ish anymore,' I think, is what they said."

Kim grinned. "Yup! It was actually really exciting. I think even Grumpy here," she elbowed Shego behind her in the ribs, "enjoyed herself."

Shego snorted after pushing Kim's elbow away. "I had _nightmares_, not _fun_, Kimmie."

"Not after, _during_." She turned back to her parents. "Anyway, yeah. It was scary at times, but nothing that I couldn't get through with her help."

"And how long has she been 'helping' you?" Anne asked, a knowing look in her eyes.

It was a look Kim knew well; it meant she'd either spill now or put up with her mother prodding her for information for weeks. She sighed. "Since about when school started."

Anne nodded. Silence fell on the four for a few seconds before the elder redhead shrugged. "Well, I wish you'd told us sooner that you had a girlfriend, Kimmie."

Shock registered openly on both younger girls' faces. Kim sputtered, "But…huh? You mean…you're okay with us?"

Anne stood and motioned for Kim to do the same. When she complied, Kim found herself wrapped up in a big hug that her father quickly joined.

Shego scoffed at the display of "mushy," which got the attention of Mrs. Dr. Possible. The slightly taller redhead turned out of the hug and beckoned Shego to come forward. When the green woman waved the invitation off, she made the mistake of looking back at the doctor's face…and getting hit right between the eyes with the more perfected form of Kim's puppy-dog pout. She found herself rising without even thinking about it, crossing the two steps and joining in. Mentally she gagged at what kind of cheesy picture they must have painted…but she had to admit that the attention felt nice, especially coming from someone not nearly as antagonistic about it as Isabel.

When all four had had enough and broke apart, Anne put her hands on Kim's shoulders and bent her knees enough to look her daughter straight in the eyes. "Kim, I won't pretend and say we knew you'd be gay, or we were just waiting for you to come out of the closet, or something like that…but we want you to know that you're still our daughter and we love you no matter what. We had our suspicions about you when you started to save the world—not because of that, but because that's also around when you started high school and yet couldn't seem to catch a boyfriend."

"Thank goodness," both Shego and James muttered, which caused Kim to giggle. Even Anne smiled.

"Even so," her mother went on, "you seemed happy while with Ron, so we let it go. And when you two broke it off…well, it was a surprise, but when you told me why…it made sense. And then you were starting college—and I _know_ that college is a time of…new things."

Her tone sounded far too knowing. It creeped Kim out. Still, she didn't say anything about it.

"And while I might complain about your first choice of…girlfriend…"

"Hey!" Shego protested.

"…from the display at the window earlier," Anne continued without missing a beat, "and also from what she's told us, I'm not worried anymore. And I don't think your father is either. Right, James?"

"Not in the least," her dad confirmed, shooting a significant look at Shego, who actually gulped. For a second Kim wondered if Shego had gotten her father's variant of the "shotgun and wife-beater" approach to scaring off potential mates for his daughter—the version that included deep-space probes and black holes.

Then reality re-asserted itself, and Kim remembered she was supposed to be somewhat flabbergasted still.

"So…you like her?"

The timid question made Kim blush again—she almost couldn't believe she had asked it—but she still awaited the answer…and let out a big sigh when her parents nodded.

"Kim, we know you can take care of yourself; the fact that you went off to college to live all on your own—well, sort of all on your own—is only the latest proof of that. But we're your parents, and we worry. It's what parents do, and I hope you find that out someday on your own. Because we worry, we want you to have someone who can look after you…and knowing who she is, and what she can do, we have little doubt that you've made a good choice."

Tears had built up in Kim's eyes while Anne was speaking, and she hugged her parents fiercely again. After a minute, she wiped her eyes and stood back next to Shego.

"So," she said brightly, grinning almost ear-to-ear, "who wants lunch?"

--

They ended up going out so Kim could show them around; with the added benefit of Shego's prior attendance to the university, the tour was fairly complete. It was also fairly entertaining, as Kim's enthusiasm was countered by Shego's sarcasm.

Lunch was a decent affair, with Kim trying in vain to keep Shego from stealing the French fries off her plate; the thief always had some kind of counter for whatever protective measure Kim took. To her parents, the interplay was endearing, even adorable at times—especially when Kim resorted to the Pout just as Shego was putting a fry in her mouth. Shego had leaned over with the other half sticking out, which Kim happily nabbed, delivering a messy kiss in the process.

Later in the afternoon they toured some of the nearer areas of Go City, where Kim got to explain to her parents the same thing that had so puzzled her when she'd first arrived: how Shego was able to be so, well, open about walking around.

When James posited the question, Kim answered, "I wouldn't worry about it, Dad; to these people she's kinda like an anti-hero to me being the hero. They have, like, this civic pride about Shego being awesome, and that's why she came back here with her family around when I started school."

Returning to the dormitory, Kim noted that the front door had been fixed again. "Shego, did you do something to the doors earlier?" she asked.

"Nope. I hadn't been out since yesterday, before we left."

"'Kay. The locks were busted again, but I didn't stay to see why."

Shego frowned; this occurrence marked four times total, and she was no closer to discovering who had done it these last three. The suspect from the first case, Drakken and his cronies, was still imprisoned…and DNAmy wouldn't stoop to something so _technological_. That really left Dementor…but why the belligerent botanist would jam the locks at Kim's dorm was something she couldn't fathom.

She put it aside as they went up to their dorm, though; this wasn't a time to worry the parents. _Still need to make a good impression_.

Once back inside, the talk turned to the one thing Kim had dreaded the entire day since managing to accidentally "come out" to her parents:

_Baby stories_.

In fact, Anne managed to produce a photo album and was currently beckoning Shego closer so she could show it off. Kim's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"MOM! Where did you _get_ that thing?!"

James answered, "Oh, she brought it along earlier, just in case you might have found yourself a bo—erm…_special_ friend."

Anne giggled at the correction, and Shego rolled her eyes.

Unfortunately, both Shego and Anne were in the small kitchenette, and James was in its entryway, leaving Kim no way to get in and save her dignity unless she launched herself over the waist-high half-wall and countertop separating it from the rest of the dormitory. She slumped against the low wall in defeat, forced to listen to her mother explain the more embarrassing moments of her childhood that happened to be captured in the almost-immortal medium of the photograph.

She drew her legs up, put her arms around her knees, and buried her face in her elbows to avoid the Mother of All Blushes caused from her mother explaining, "And this is how she earned the nickname Bubble-Butt."

Shego whistled appreciatively. "Wow. Princess, you were certainly adorable then. And blowing bubbles out your—"

"SHEGO!"

The dark-haired woman laughed at the sound of Kim trying her damnedest to get over that counter. "Easy, Kimmie," she said, grabbing hold of the younger woman when she made it into the kitchen and hugging her. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

"Not as bad?!" Kim protested, trying in vain to escape. "You guys are embarrassing the _crap_ outta me!"

"A mother's duty," Anne said with a smirk that rivaled Shego's. Kim fumed silently while Shego and James chuckled.

Eventually they calmed Kim down in time for a decent dinner; Kim insisted on preparing it by herself, to at least prove that she could finally handle a kitchen. When portions were served, Shego poked hers tentatively at first. Kim asked the green thief what was bothering her, and Shego answered she wasn't sure if Kim had poisoned it or not to get back for earlier, which earned fresh chuckles from the Doctors Possible.

After dinner they relaxed in the main room again, this time with Shego on Kim's lap; it was the only way to silence the slender hero, who had protested that her parents had seen enough and should probably head home, given the travel time. As was their wont, though, they apparently failed to take the hint, and Kim decided it was time for drastic measures.

She got out from under Shego and went into the bedroom, coming out a minute later in pajama pants and an old, ratty t-shirt cut in half so high up that when Kim came back around to sit on Shego, the older girl almost got an eyeful from underneath—a position she decided to repeat at some time in the near future.

"I haven't had a lot of Shego-time recently," Kim announced once she got comfortable, "so if you guys don't mind, I'm going to love my girlfriend." So saying, she put her head on Shego's shoulder and snuggled in close to her neck.

Shego, for her part, simply shrugged at Kim's parents. _Get in good with the folks…get some Kimmie-lovin'…seems like it's been a good night for me_. She shivered a bit when Kim found a particularly sensitive spot and tickled it with her nose.

The Doctors Possible returned Shego's shrug and simply pivoted their chairs to watch Kim's small television, affording the girls a modicum of privacy. They were simply happy to enjoy their daughter's company.

Kim paused after a few minutes when she failed to hear an important noise: the door opening and closing. Instead she heard the TV, and couldn't remember having turned it on earlier. _That means…oh, man!_

Sure enough, she could still see her parents when she looked away from Shego's neck and face, earning herself a small disappointed noise from her green-skinned girlfriend. Blushing slightly at her own actions in her family's presence, Kim asked, "Aren't you guys the least bit bothered that I'm making out with Shego?"

Shego had to hold in a laugh; with every word Kim spoke, the girl turned redder and redder. "I'm not," she said, even though she knew Kim's question wasn't directed at her. She was rewarded with a swat on the shoulder.

"Just as long as it's not some boy," came James' easy answer, and this time Shego couldn't keep the laugh from escaping.

"I can tell you're being blatant about it," Anne said, "but I also remember my own college days in the dorms." The younger pair watched her wink at her husband, who suddenly got a goofy grin of his own.

"Oh geeze…" Kim muttered, not liking the…almost suggestive tone of her mother's voice. "I don't know if I can handle this…I'll be in the other room." She levered herself off of Shego's lap and marched off to the bedroom.

Sharing a short laugh at Kim's expense, the three remaining people settled in a bit. A minute later Anne got up to follow Kim, leaving Shego with James.

Shego liked Kim's dad; after her bombshell earlier that had caused them both to pass out, he'd been the first to wake up, and had confided in her—after making sure she was being absolutely serious, of course—that he felt better about Shego being Kim's partner than he did of any other person, really…and not just because of her tomboy nature. As any father worried about his children, he worried about her…and based on what he knew of the previous altercations between the two fighters, he was fully reassured that Shego could keep her safe.

And happy, if the kiss upon Kim's entrance was any indication.

Shego thought his reasons were sound, but again, like any dad, his fundamentally goofy nature, combined with his tendency to slip into "absent-minded professor" moments, made him a real treat to talk to. She got to find out the story behind Drakken, too, and had laughed herself nearly senseless at how little had changed since "Drewbie's" college days.

Now, with Anne off to console Kim, they slipped in to a sort of easy silence, both watching the TV. A minute later, Shego asked, "D'you think we should check on them?"

James waved it off. "No, they're fine. In fact, Anne's probably regaling Kim with…stories…from our youth."

"Stories?"

That goofy grin from earlier returned. "Back before Anne and I started dating—actually, right around when we first met—she was a pre-med student while I was in engineering, and she'd just gotten over a messy breakup. I wasn't about to try and pick her up then…but boy, was she a looker."

"Still is," Shego commented.

"Still is," James agreed, not at all fazed that a woman in love with his daughter was effectively calling his wife a hottie. "Anyway, for a short time, I thought she was off limits entirely, because she'd only associate with the girls in nursing, pretty much. One day she and I were having lunch when I lost a micro-camera we were using in the lab to monitor the short-term field effects of high-powered electromagnets on unstable ionic gas clouds with an electric current passing through it. Turns out it'd fallen on Anne's clothing or something, because the next time I turned it on I got an eyeful of her, in the flesh—literally—along with one of her nursing friends."

Shego blinked. "She was doing another girl?"

He nodded. "Or was about to—they went off-camera before getting anywhere too physical. Still, it wasn't the only time. I probably caught her six or seven times before she asked me if I was doing anything one night and we had our first date."

"Boy…" Shego snickered. "If Kimmie's getting that story, I don't think she's going to wake up any time soon…"

--

Shego was _almost_ right.

In the bedroom, Kim was sitting cross-legged on the bed while Anne was perched on the edge, apologizing to her.

"Oh, Kimmie, it's a parent's job to tease their kids. One day, I hope you'll have the same opportunity."

Kim looked at her mother sharply. "Are you saying you think I should stop seeing Shego?" she asked, her voice hard.

Anne deflected the anger with a laugh. "Not at all. I can tell you two love each other—and let me be the first to say that you make the _cutest_ couple," she enthused. "Just adorable."

"Then…what? How kids?"

"Oh, Kim. How many people owe you favors? And how many of those are top-notch scientists in some medical field or another?" Anne shrugged. "You could probably even look to adopt, and have agencies lining up to present children to you."

Calming down considerably, Kim copied the shrug. "I…we hadn't really talked about it," she admitted.

"You're only a few months in," Anne replied, her tone one of understanding. "You don't have to have it all figured out right away." She gave Kim a hug, then fell silent, eventually sighing as she let her gaze wander the dorm's bedroom.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"Just remembering my days, dear. With you being in college now, I feel my age."

"You're not that old!"

Anne smiled wryly. "Thank you, dear." That smile turned mischievous quickly. "And let me give you a word of advice, while you're staying with Shego: keep lots of extra sheets handy."

"Huh?"

"Having sex with another woman can get messy," Anne explained. "Especially if there's...equipment involved."

Kim's mind was far too thrown by the non-sequitur to be bothered by the frank sex talk. Still, there was something about how she'd said that... "Voice of experience?"

Anne nodded.

Kim blinked. Twice. Then: "WHAT?!"

"Back in the day," Anne began, "before your father and I started dating, he actually planted a micro-camera on me from his lab. I only noticed it because it made a noise when I took my shirt off later that night. The way I saw it, he was being kind of creepy and stalker-like."

"But…it's…Dad. He _can't_ be creepy and stalker-like."

"Hon, I was just coming off a messy breakup with a verbally abusive boyfriend. I wasn't thinking straight towards _any_ man at the time. Anyway, I wanted to bust him for invasion of privacy, so I convinced one of my girlfriends in nursing—one who was a _real_ lesbian—to come and…put on a show for him."

"A show?" Kim echoed blankly. "You…you didn't…"

"That night, yes, we did," Anne confirmed. "But I had her help a few more times, too…and we never did again. She said, and I quote, 'Annie, you're a nice girl, but I'm gonna kill ya the next time you ask me to put it in you.'" She giggled. "That first time, I wanted to catch him on invasion of privacy charges, especially when I waited in hiding for him to come and get the camera back for a few days one week. After that, though…well, let's just say that wasn't the _only_ video project your father and I have ever worked on together."

She laughed at the look of horror on Kim's face.

"Kim, dear," she said, once back under control, "the only reason I mentioned that to you is so that you know that there's nothing you could do—no one that you could love—that would make us love you any less. But part of that parental love is having the right to tease your kids once in a while, and I hope to death that you get to experience that some day."

Silent for a moment, Kim let her mom's words sink in before moving forward to give her a hug. "Thanks, Mom. This all means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," she said, returning the hug.

--

Back out in the main room, Shego and James had resumed watching when their conversation hit a lull. The show—oddly enough, a science program on the formation of black holes—had just gone to a commercial break when the bedroom door popped open and both Kim and Anne walked out.

Shego watched her redhead come back out, noting the irritation was gone. She got up and went to her, putting an arm over her shoulder. "You okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Kim replied distantly. Shego squeezed her close.

After a short discussion between themselves, James got out of his seat and Anne went to get their things. "We're going to be heading home now," Anne said. "Shego, it was…nice to meet you again."

Shego stepped forward and shook James' hand. "And you. Look…I…hate the name to death, but…feel free to call me Rheann if you want to, okay? You deserve more than a nickname." She could feel Kim grab her other hand and squeeze it, and delivered a squeeze in response.

"Thank you," Anne said. "And Kimmie, we promise to call next time we come over, but only if you promise to get Sh—Rheann some underwear of her own to greet the door in."

Then they left, laughing at the twin looks of shock on each girl's face.

When the door to the stairwell closed, and the parents were out of both sight and earshot, Shego mumbled, "And I thought _my_ parents were weird." She escorted Kim back inside and shut the door.

"They are." Kim shook her head to clear it. "Just…mine are, too. They are _such_ pervs."

"Yeah…gives me hope for you in the future."

"SHEGO!"

--

A/N: No, I didn't just throw the beginning in for show. It is important.

To anyone who is familiar with Australian slang (I'm looking at you, Sobriety): beware, for a foreigner is going to try and use it. This means it will pop up with some frequency over the next chapter or two. Please let me know—preferably via PM—if I'm using it wrong, using too much, using too little, using the wrong words…or even if I'm using it right.

So yeah, this chapter took forever to do. Thanks again (I'm starting to sense a pattern here) to Love Robin for the framework for wrapping this thing up. And thanks to everyone who takes the time to read.

Oh, and I forgot this earlier: the chapter title is as thus (silly Latin phrase from freshmen year of high school...holy wow...11 years ago...):

Semper: "Always"

Ubi: "Where"

Sub: "Under"

Tui: "Your" (technically, "of you," but since that's what "your" means anyway...)

Write it out, then say it out loud, then laugh some. I found it appropriate.


End file.
